Archive for December, 2009
I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas.
Be coo coo about musical clocks!
Enjoy, and make it a “grandfather” of a day with all your family and friends.
What if your cuckoo clock stops working?
Have you ever had a cuckoo clock stop coo coo ing ?
Here’s some suggestions that might help you from a friend on mine
My recent trip to Spain, Malta and Italy knocked me down for awahile …. but I’m back,
hopfully healthier thatn before.
I recently got a question about a stopped cuckoo clock with four weights and three chains.
Is anyone familiar with such a cuckoo clock?
Antiques Aren’t Just for the Roadshow
There’s no doubt about it. Antiques are the thing to collect. These pieces are functional, made from natural materials that are almost disappearing and are beautiful to look at. An old armoire can be the centerpiece of a living room. It will command attention with its smooth wood panels and curvy legs.
A cuckoo clock hanging on the wall commands the same attention. Its imposing figure is complemented by the sweet sound of the cuckoo bird announcing the time by the hour. The first cuckoo clocks were invented in Germany. Today, the modern cuckoo clock uses the same mechanism as the antique ones. Designs have evolved but you can still find old-fashioned grandfather cuckoo clocks.
The Mechanical Cuckoo
In 1629 a Bavarian nobleman named Philipp Hainhofer described a mechanical organ-like device with automated features, and a mechanical cuckoo bird owned by Prince Flector August von Sachsen. Hainhofer’s book (where this description was from) contained words and pictures of how the device worked, and this became the first known appearance of the mechanical cuckoo. Decades later, the first cuckoo clocks were conceived in a region of Germany called the Black Forest, where the mechanical cuckoo was made famous and the famous Black Forest cuckoo clock originated.
Over the years, cuckoo clocks have become a part of various societies, and are still prized today for their traditional and Bavarian heritage. In addition, there are contemporary versions of cuckoo clocks with avant-garde designs using geometric shapes, and bereft of the ornate carvings standard on the traditional clocks.