St.Goar cuckoo clock still holds the world record
Suspended high above a shop window in St.Goar is a timepiece with a unique distinction – it is the largest free-hanging cuckoo clock in the world.
Copies of the clock have been made elsewhere but none has achieved the St.Goar clock’s record.
The clock is the symbol of an old-established business, the Cuckoo Clock Centre, run by members of the Montag family.
Now just over 30 years old, the extraordinary time piece is 3.5 meters high and 2.5 meters wide, and weighs about 5 cwts.
Every single piece of the clock has been made by hand. It is carved from linden wood and is hand-painted.
It took seven months to build and was constructed just as all genuine Black Forest Clock have been made for over a century – and as they are made today.
Indeed, it was a Black Forest firm, Alfons Herr, of Hornberg, that made the famous St.Goar clock from plans drawn up by company executives.
The time function of the clock is electronically controlled. Movement of the pendulum is maintained by a slow-running motor.
From tiny microphones in the office master-clock, the cuckoo’s calls and dancing tunes are relayed and amplified to the giant clock.
Weather is the major threat to the beautifully carved and painted linden wood. The clock has its own special cover for extreme conditions but even then, restoration work is periodically needed.
Early in 2004 a storm damaged one of the birds in the headpiece and it lost its wings. The entire section had to be carved again, a job that took four weeks.
The opportunity was taken to repaint the entire clock, and so by March the whole timepiece had been completely restored.
Suspended high above a shop window in St.Goar is a timepiece with a unique distinction – it is the largest free-hanging cuckoo clock in the world.
Copies of the clock have been made elsewhere but none has achieved the St.Goar clock’s record.
The clock is the symbol of an old-established business, the Cuckoo Clock Centre, run by members of the Montag family.
Now just over 30 years old, the extraordinary time piece is 3.5 meters high and 2.5 meters wide, and weighs about 5 cwts.
Every single piece of the clock has been made by hand. It is carved from linden wood and is hand-painted.
It took seven months to build and was constructed just as all genuine Black Forest Clock have been made for over a century – and as they are made today.
Indeed, it was a Black Forest firm, Alfons Herr, of Hornberg, that made the famous St.Goar clock from plans drawn up by company executives.
The time function of the clock is electronically controlled. Movement of the pendulum is maintained by a slow-running motor.
From tiny microphones in the office master-clock, the cuckoo’s calls and dancing tunes are relayed and amplified to the giant clock.
Weather is the major threat to the beautifully carved and painted linden wood. The clock has its own special cover for extreme conditions but even then, restoration work is periodically needed.
Early in 2004 a storm damaged one of the birds in the headpiece and it lost its wings. The entire section had to be carved again, a job that took four weeks.
The opportunity was taken to repaint the entire clock, and so by March the whole timepiece had been completely restored.
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