As I mentioned before, Switzerland is a watch temple. All types of very expensive watches from the middle expensive to the most expensive. We cannot leave behind one of the most famous watches ever: the cuckoo clock! Which is not Swiss in its origin. WHAT???? No, it is not Swiss, I am sorry.
One of the most gifted souvenirs from a trip to Switzerland, the cuckoo clock originated in the Black Forest in the province of Baden-Württemburg in Germany and it depicted mostly hunt images carved in wood.
The idea came in 1640 with a traveler that brought glass from this same region to sell "abroad", back from one of his many trips, he returned with a simple Bohemian clock operated with an interesting mechanism (and not so ornamented like today). Someone was for sure fascinated by this technical wonder that kept time much better than hourglass or sundials (both used in that region by that time) and took it serious. So the idea developed quite well in the region.
The first clocks were rather primitive. They used toothed wheels made of wood and simple stones as weights. Instead of a pendulum, they used a piece of wood called a "Waag" that moved forward and back above the clock dial, to make the clock keep time. Most of the people who made clocks at that time were not the rich farmers, but the so-called "Häuslers". in that region, usually the oldest son of a farmer inherited the land and his siblings only got a small piece of land. Those "Häuslers" had to work for other farmers to survive during the winter-months, and clock making was a welcome way for them to earn a little money. In 1690, the whole industry of clock making had developed in the high Black Forest, so much that it was even sold for other countries like Russia.
Before the Swiss chalets, with animals, this one costs around USS 8000. Beautiful, isn't it?
In about 1730, the cuckoo clock may have been invented by Franz Anton Ketterer, a well-known Black Forest clockmaker. Ketterer used the church organ pipe technology as the basis for the production of the cuckoo's sound and still used today: two bellows send air through the pipes.
One of the first, dated from the 18th century.
According to the Lötscher company, the single company in the entire Switzerland responsible for producing the only genuine Swiss cuckoo clock, the wood is the critical raw material for the manufacture of cuckoo clocks, because the wood casing is the primary feature that distinguishes the cuckoo clock in appearance. Cuckoo clocks are made from the wood of the linden tree, a hardwood that grows in Europe. Some parts of the housing may also be made of walnut. Before starting the work, wood workers purchase the linden and walnut woods well in advance so the wood can be aged for two-three years. This way of drying the wood is the only way to guarantee that the wood doesn’t crack any more in humid or dry air.
The Lötscher Co. "labs".
The only model Lütscher produces is the chalet model and they affirm this is a Swiss invention (two types of typical Swiss chalets exists: the Brienzer and the Emmenthaler). Their parts are manufactured in two parts: one is the wood box and the other is the mechanics, made of metal. They have two factories in Switzerland, one in the Bern canton in the city of Brienz, home of the wood carvers, and the other in Fallanden, a small village close to Zürich, where the clocks are set up. All of the clocks are handmade, hand carved and hand assembled and the wood box takes three months to fabricate. Besides the box and the mechanics, accessories like dancing characters, water wheels, animals and the sound of the cuckoo and other musics are added and these pieces have mechanical movements, springs, that need to be wound up daily or every eight days. The first is the most popular model, becoming almost a daily ritual for its owner.
Here are curious facts:
1. the mechanical movements of the watch are imported from Germany. How come? Simple, there are no companies in Switzerland that produce this mechanism for the cuckoo clocks. I exists only in that country.
2. the most sold model is the 570 which represents a typical chalet of the mountain regions of the Bern canton. It might have an avarage price but some, not only form this brand, can reach the 7000 euro price.
The 570 model, a hit!
3. besides the cuckoo sound, the other slager (hit) melody for years has been the Edelweiss ou "Fröhlicher Wanderer" (the happy wanderer), written by Friedrich-Wilhelm Möller shortly after World War II. It is often mistaken for a German folk song, but it is actually an original composition.
What about the future? Even though some models of cuckoo clocks are now outfitted with quartz movements and electronics, part of the cuckoo clock's charm may be its old-fashioned mechanical movement. When paired with beautifully carved wood and rustic style, the spell of the cuckoo's song on the hour is guaranteed to bring smiles to those who prize childlike delights, exquisite craftsmanship for years to come, collection, or simply for those who want to keep their roots back to Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and other European localities where cuckoo clocks are traditional ornaments for home as many families in America do.
With moving pieces!
Besides the information that cuckoo clocks are not originally Swiss, another info amazes tourists: several of the not so expensive quartz watches or clocks sold here are imported from China, Korea and Japan. So take care when you come to Switzerland to buy your original Swiss wristwatch or cuckoo clock!
Maestro is a 2005 award-winning computer animated short film, written, produced and directed by Géza Tóth in Budapest, Hungary. It was nominated for Best Animated Short Film during the 79th Academy Awards in 2007. The film depicts the minutes before a "maestro"'s show and his preparation for it as aided by a mechanical assistantthat has something to do with this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1DvsQ3pF5Y
Sources: www.cuckooclock.de/, www.loetscher.ch/clocks.htm, wikipedia
One of the most gifted souvenirs from a trip to Switzerland, the cuckoo clock originated in the Black Forest in the province of Baden-Württemburg in Germany and it depicted mostly hunt images carved in wood.
The idea came in 1640 with a traveler that brought glass from this same region to sell "abroad", back from one of his many trips, he returned with a simple Bohemian clock operated with an interesting mechanism (and not so ornamented like today). Someone was for sure fascinated by this technical wonder that kept time much better than hourglass or sundials (both used in that region by that time) and took it serious. So the idea developed quite well in the region.
The first clocks were rather primitive. They used toothed wheels made of wood and simple stones as weights. Instead of a pendulum, they used a piece of wood called a "Waag" that moved forward and back above the clock dial, to make the clock keep time. Most of the people who made clocks at that time were not the rich farmers, but the so-called "Häuslers". in that region, usually the oldest son of a farmer inherited the land and his siblings only got a small piece of land. Those "Häuslers" had to work for other farmers to survive during the winter-months, and clock making was a welcome way for them to earn a little money. In 1690, the whole industry of clock making had developed in the high Black Forest, so much that it was even sold for other countries like Russia.
Before the Swiss chalets, with animals, this one costs around USS 8000. Beautiful, isn't it?In about 1730, the cuckoo clock may have been invented by Franz Anton Ketterer, a well-known Black Forest clockmaker. Ketterer used the church organ pipe technology as the basis for the production of the cuckoo's sound and still used today: two bellows send air through the pipes.
One of the first, dated from the 18th century.According to the Lötscher company, the single company in the entire Switzerland responsible for producing the only genuine Swiss cuckoo clock, the wood is the critical raw material for the manufacture of cuckoo clocks, because the wood casing is the primary feature that distinguishes the cuckoo clock in appearance. Cuckoo clocks are made from the wood of the linden tree, a hardwood that grows in Europe. Some parts of the housing may also be made of walnut. Before starting the work, wood workers purchase the linden and walnut woods well in advance so the wood can be aged for two-three years. This way of drying the wood is the only way to guarantee that the wood doesn’t crack any more in humid or dry air.
The Lötscher Co. "labs".The only model Lütscher produces is the chalet model and they affirm this is a Swiss invention (two types of typical Swiss chalets exists: the Brienzer and the Emmenthaler). Their parts are manufactured in two parts: one is the wood box and the other is the mechanics, made of metal. They have two factories in Switzerland, one in the Bern canton in the city of Brienz, home of the wood carvers, and the other in Fallanden, a small village close to Zürich, where the clocks are set up. All of the clocks are handmade, hand carved and hand assembled and the wood box takes three months to fabricate. Besides the box and the mechanics, accessories like dancing characters, water wheels, animals and the sound of the cuckoo and other musics are added and these pieces have mechanical movements, springs, that need to be wound up daily or every eight days. The first is the most popular model, becoming almost a daily ritual for its owner.
Here are curious facts:
1. the mechanical movements of the watch are imported from Germany. How come? Simple, there are no companies in Switzerland that produce this mechanism for the cuckoo clocks. I exists only in that country.
2. the most sold model is the 570 which represents a typical chalet of the mountain regions of the Bern canton. It might have an avarage price but some, not only form this brand, can reach the 7000 euro price.
The 570 model, a hit!3. besides the cuckoo sound, the other slager (hit) melody for years has been the Edelweiss ou "Fröhlicher Wanderer" (the happy wanderer), written by Friedrich-Wilhelm Möller shortly after World War II. It is often mistaken for a German folk song, but it is actually an original composition.
What about the future? Even though some models of cuckoo clocks are now outfitted with quartz movements and electronics, part of the cuckoo clock's charm may be its old-fashioned mechanical movement. When paired with beautifully carved wood and rustic style, the spell of the cuckoo's song on the hour is guaranteed to bring smiles to those who prize childlike delights, exquisite craftsmanship for years to come, collection, or simply for those who want to keep their roots back to Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and other European localities where cuckoo clocks are traditional ornaments for home as many families in America do.
With moving pieces!Besides the information that cuckoo clocks are not originally Swiss, another info amazes tourists: several of the not so expensive quartz watches or clocks sold here are imported from China, Korea and Japan. So take care when you come to Switzerland to buy your original Swiss wristwatch or cuckoo clock!
Maestro is a 2005 award-winning computer animated short film, written, produced and directed by Géza Tóth in Budapest, Hungary. It was nominated for Best Animated Short Film during the 79th Academy Awards in 2007. The film depicts the minutes before a "maestro"'s show and his preparation for it as aided by a mechanical assistantthat has something to do with this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1DvsQ3pF5Y
Sources: www.cuckooclock.de/, www.loetscher.ch/clocks.htm, wikipedia
No comments:
Post a Comment