Our Adventure in the Magical World of Cuckoo Clocks: Triberg, Germany

Hello friends. We've arrived in the town of Triberg, home to the world's largest cuckoo clock. Here the mechanism that drives this clock weighs a whopping 6 tons, with the largest gear wheel measuring 2 meters and 60 centimeters in diameter. Over there we saw a pendulum that we could get a closer look at. It’s an impressive 8 meters long. According to the sign, for a few euros you can enter the clock and see how the mechanism works. Next to the cuckoo clock there’s also a museum and a gift shop.

This clock is extraordinary. The sound it makes when the mechanism is working is also quite interesting. We learned that it costs 3 euros per person to enter the clock’s mechanism. While exploring the museum we saw old-style grandfather clocks. There was also a lady in traditional clothing with a hat. The old machines here date back to the 1800s. The clock mechanisms are displayed in showcases and you can see the large pendulum used in these clocks inside. The columns on the walls blow air into the pipes that produce the cuckoo sound creating the bird’s call. We were curious about how the bells chime. The gears of the clock mechanism are working and they are all active. These gears work in harmony like the heart of the clocks.

Inside the clocks we noticed a carved staircase decorated in the shape of a pinecone. We entered the mechanism of the world’s largest cuckoo clock. Just one gear wheel has a diameter of 2 meters and 60 centimeters! The cuckoo bird weighs 150 kilograms and has the same diameter. The pendulum is 8 meters long and weighs 100 kilograms. Can you imagine this enormous structure? The entire mechanism weighs 6 tons. These impressive figures truly amazed me. I was surprised to see that everything was made of wood. These large gears are intricately carved with great precision. The music inside is also very pleasant. Here the cuckoo bird, which was about to emerge outside, was resting. Outside people were waiting for it. We also started waiting for its appearance from inside. It was almost 2:00 pm. Just a few minutes left. The cuckoo bird was ready and so were we waiting.

The pendulum began to move and the cuckoo bird appeared. I watched how the sound of the cuckoo bird was created. A bellows was indeed working above, creating air pressure that produced the bird’s sound through pipes. There’s another service here. You insert a coin and it gives you information about the clocks. We decided to try it.

“Welcome dear visitors to the world’s largest cuckoo clock. Before I provide you with information about these clocks, let me introduce myself. My name is Johann and I am a clock seller”

Johann greeted us and gave us information about the clocks. According to his story, it dates back about 200 years. At that time the tradition of Black Forest clocks was just beginning. In 1997 these clocks were entered into the Guinness World Records as the world’s largest cuckoo clock. The clock’s frame is made of spruce wood and the metal parts are made of stainless steel and aluminum. For example, the 8-meter-long pendulum, measured from its lowest point, weighs 100 kilograms. The cuckoo bird the main character of our clock, is 4.5 meters long and weighs 150 kilograms. It’s made from a single piece of wood and painted in gray-brown tones. It chirps once every half hour and as many times as the hour at the top of each hour. The sound is produced through pipes; thanks to the two 4-meter-long pipes we saw on the wall. The larger the pipe’s volume the lower the tone.

We thanked him as we descended from the balcony and passed by the clock mechanism. The balcony had a capacity of 20 people. Afterward we visited a small shop where you can buy wine as a souvenir from the region. The bottles were beautifully packaged, with one bottle priced at 8 euros and three bottles for 22.99 euros. We then moved on to the Hall of Time, where we could hear the clocks chiming. It was beautiful. We also saw the traditional clothing of Baden-Württemberg. There were some very nice clocks and if you insert 50 cents, they would chime. Curious about how they sounded, we gave it a try.

As we explored it felt as if we had entered another dimension. There was an old piano. A sign on it read "Do not touch" so we refrained from touching it. The piano made of wood, was stunning. In this clock shop you might imagine that this piano could play by itself. However, we don’t know exactly what type of piano it is, but it was indeed beautiful. There were wooden clocks to suit every taste. My grandfather had wall clocks and I used to fall asleep to the sound of them chiming. I’ve loved that sound since childhood. It’s something comforting to me. I can say that these clocks don’t chime at night because there is a starry sky above and when you set the clock, it doesn’t chime at night but does chime during the day.

In one hall there are various clocks and every minute, every second a different clock chimes. The mix of sounds and atmosphere was truly beautiful. I wanted to buy more than half of them. We love cuckoo clocks and chiming clocks.

We passed through the hall of clocks and entered the souvenir shop. The souvenir shop had soft toys, wooden products and other items. The collectible figures here were also nice, starting at 250 euros and they were really beautiful. There were beer mugs, collectible cars and motorcycles. There were many lovely things and a large cuckoo clock as well.

It was a nice souvenir shop. There were plates, glasses and bread baskets for breakfast. Wooden carved figures and certified dolls were also for sale, with the dolls priced at 150 euros. There were glass products to suit every taste and color. There were many beautiful wristwatches mostly Swiss, with prices ranging from 245 to 495 euros.

We thought we could also buy something for the New Year. The New Year is approaching, with only a few months left until we celebrate 2025. There were beautiful snowmen. We haven’t gathered all the mushrooms or picked all the fruits yet, but the New Year is coming.

We walked around a bit more and stopped in front of the cuckoo clock. Only one minute remained. People gathered waiting for the cuckoo to appear. The doors opened and the cuckoo chirped three times as the crowd watched with delight.

We continued our walk through the center of Triberg. We stopped by some beautiful flower-adorned houses. As it was very hot, we decided to find a café and have some ice cream. The café was called Venetian ice cream. Since it was an Italian café, we ordered Italian spaghetti ice cream and tiramisu. The café was located by a large river, where there are guesthouses with rooms available for rent. The place was crowded and the café was fully occupied. Our order arrived. The Italian spaghetti ice cream had fresh fruits inside and was very delicious, as was the tiramisu.

We began strolling through the center of Triberg, where we saw houses decorated with beautiful flowers. We parked our car in front of a market and walked towards the center. There were many clocks and beautiful products in the souvenir shops here. Everything was so beautiful and everyone loved these items. I hope you enjoyed my post as well.