Welcome To Unique Cuckoo Clocks

What is a Cuckoo Clock?

A cuckoo clock is a pendulum-driven clock that sounds the hours with the call of the cuckoo bird. The clock is set in motion by pulling mechanical weights, often in the shape of pine cones. The bird call is made by bellows which send air through two small pipes tuned one third apart. Most cuckoo clocks are carved from wood, and decorated with intricate designs.

The precise origin of the clock is unknown. Possibly, cuckoo clocks were inspired by fourteenth century Czechoslovakian clocks which marked the hours with rooster calls. The first written description of a cuckoo clock comes from Bavaria. In 1669, an Italian architect, Domenico Martinelli, wrote a handbook including instructions on how to produce a cuckoo call. In 1750, artisans in Germany’s Black Forest began building cuckoo clocks and offering them for sale. Today, the region is the center of the cuckoo clock industry.