Black Forest - cuckoo clocks

Triberg

We were in the Black Forest 3 years ago and bought a clock which is presently in storage. I did not realize how high you have to hang the clock so the chains work. I should have done some research before buying this clock.

I've seen cuckoo clocks for sell all over the Black Forest, but I agree, Triberg seems to be the "capital".

Virtually anywhere you go in Black forest will sell cuckoo clocks

I would also suggest Triberg. A couple of suggestions to check. House of 1,000 clocks and Oli's Schnitztube. The House of 1,000 clocks has more inventory from which to choose. Oli's is smaller but the workmanship is better because Oli is a Master Carver and as a Master Carver he and his other Master Club Carvers (MCC) hand carve the clocks. He does not make any of the mechanical guts of the clock so I would not say they are any better than the mass produced clocks that other stores sell. The Master carvers have a club and in order to become a master carver they have to go before a board and go through tests to prove they are qualified. If I remember correctly in my discussion with Oli they have to get re-certified every 5 years in order to continue as a Master Carver. After looking at clocks at both places we purchased one for a friend at Oli's. When it arrived I compared the work to one I had purchased for myself in Rothenburg 3 years prior and mine paled in comparison when looking at the fine details of the animals and other figures carved. The animals for example were mass produced on my clock whereas the one from Oli's were hand carved and much more realistic looking. Oli also rents rooms above his shop and they are very reasonable. Small but they do have a bathroom in each room. Breakfast not included.
I will say however that the clocks at Oli' are not the cheapest you will find. A link to both places: http://olisschnitzstube.de/mcc-clocks.html http://hausder1000uhren.de/about.php?lang=en

Can you buy one which shuts the cuckoo up at night? I have terrible flashbacks of cuckoo clocks. Many years ago I stayed with an aunt for a couple of nights. There was a cuckoo clock right outside my room. The experience has left me with a very adverse reaction to cuckoo clocks!!

I have a cheap-ish cuckoo clock I bought in Baden-Baden, and YES, I can flip a lever on it to silence it at night.

Most cuckoo clocks made in Germany have a lever that allows you to silence the cuckoo.

Slightly off topic but one of my memorable experiences was the first I time I heard a live cuckoo bird. That one was while we were hiking near Grindlewald and I've heard them many times since and a couple of years ago I actually saw one - in northern Spain of all places.