Have you ever been in a house and seen a beautifully carved cuckoo clock, and then all of a sudden heard it chiming? Well, it’s a pretty common situation nowadays.

                But did you ever wonder when and how those clocks first started?

                It is generally regarded that cuckoo clocks as we know them today started in the Black Forest Region in Germany. More specifically, they were created around 1630 in the village of Triberg. The most-popular type of cuckoo clock was first designed in 1738 by Franz Ketterer. He was inspired by the local church organs, and his new system included small bellows and whistles that imitated a cuckoo’s call. His first model was an elaborately decorated painted wooden clock. The cuckoo was located behind a small door.

                The cuckoo clock gained incredible popularity within Germany, enough for many people in the Black Forest to try their hand at clock making. Clock-peddlers began traveling to different areas of Germany, as well as to France and elsewhere to sell their clocks. The cuckoo’s call became well-known throughout Europe, and actually was made the same way it is today, nearly 300 years later. Similar to church-organs, the sound was made by two bellows sending air through pipes.

                The fame of the Black Forest for making cuckoo clocks has spread worldwide. In fact, the most valuable Black Forest clock is the “world-time-clock”, which was made in 1787, and is located today in the German clock museum in Furtwangen.

                Typically, the casing of a cuckoo clock is traditional and is usually in the shape of a rustic birdhouse or a chalet. Many of the clocks are decorated with animals, plants, leaves, and depict hunting scenes. Some are ornamented with typical Black Forest scenes, such as dancing couples in traditional dress moving to music, as well as a rotating mill wheel, or even a farmer chopping wood. A cuckoo bird often appears through a small trap door when the clock is striking, and then goes behind the door after the striking stops. Many of the clocks are run by weights, often in the shape of pinecones, underneath the clock. They needed to be pulled up once a day, or a week, or longer, depending on the model. Recently, battery powered cuckoo clocks have been developed, but do not have the same bellows and striking that have been associated with the clocks for 300 years.

                The cuckoo clock has survived to this day. It is still greatly in demand, and is a hand-carved work of art that can be treasured for decades.

                Collectors still cherish cuckoo clocks as well. Clocks are often auctioned, and prices can really run the gamut. For example, a 19^th century Black Forest wall clock with a cuckoo door went for $750, while another carved wood cuckoo mantle clock from the early 20^th century sold for $2500 at auction. Often, the taller the clock the pricier they are. For example, a large wall 40 inch fully-carved clock depicting a deer family went for $3500. Sometimes clocks are bought for the beauty and ornateness of the clock itself, rather than for the clock’s mechanism. As an example, in 2006 an elaborately carved antique walnut cuckoo clock with carving of birds and deer was auctioned. However, some pieces were missing, and the clock that was offered did not have any weights. Nonetheless, the clock was auctioned for $5000.

                Cuckoo clocks are indeed cherished by many, due in fact for a few reasons. They not only are nostalgic, but also the product is very well-made. They remind people of how ornate and exquisite many items of the past were. Unfortunately many items are not built with the same craftsmanship today. That is why cuckoo clocks will continue to be a favorite around the world of collectors and non-collectors alike. They combine the best of the past with the necessities of today.