Manufacturers seek UNESCO cultural heritage status for cuckoo clock
Kyiv • UNN
The Black Forest Clock Association, which unites over 50 manufacturers, dealers, and collectors, has applied for UNESCO cultural heritage status for the cuckoo clock. This move is aimed at protecting the 175-year-old tradition and symbolism of the Black Forest, as the market is weakening and some businesses have already closed.
Manufacturers, dealers, and collectors from the Black Forest Clock Association are seeking UNESCO cultural heritage status for the cuckoo clock. This is reported by UNN with reference to Spiegel.
Details
"We occupy a niche that needs protection," said Jürgen Klute, managing director of a clock manufacturer and head of the Black Forest Clock Association (VdS). According to the association, over 50 manufacturers, dealers, and collectors are members.
As the German UNESCO Commission reports on its website, while clockmaking has been on the national list since 2021, cuckoo clock production has not.
According to the UN cultural organization, intangible cultural heritage represents living, everyday culture passed down from generation to generation. This includes, among other things, customs and craft techniques.
The cuckoo clock, housed in a typical wooden case, boasts a 175-year tradition and is considered a symbol of the Black Forest.
A classic mechanical cuckoo clock consists of a case, movement, dial, hands, weights, and a bird. Manufacturers from the Black Forest supply clocks in numerous variations worldwide – the USA is a particularly important market, according to industry sources.
The VdS (Association of German Clock Manufacturers) estimates that about 150,000 mechanical cuckoo clocks are sold annually.
"This number used to be higher. Now it has become difficult,"
The US market is weakening, and visitors to the Black Forest are no longer spending money as freely, says the association president. Some businesses have already had to close in recent years. The pandemic also hit the industry hard. The industry does not want to stand idly by and intends to strengthen its presence.
The association has already created its own seal, which certifies origin from the Black Forest and thus also "Made in Germany." Now it plans to add cultural heritage recognition.
How the cuckoo clock came about
The origin of the cuckoo clock is shrouded in mystery, as reported by the German Clock Museum in Furtwangen. And it is also unclear who assembled the first specimen in the Black Forest.
A decisive milestone certainly occurred in the mid-19th century. In 1850, Robert Gerwig, then head of the clockmaking school in Furtwangen, organized a design competition.
The winner was designer Friedrich Eisenlohr, responsible for construction projects along the Baden State Railway. The architect adorned a replica of a railway signalman's house facade with a clock face.
Thus, the prototype of the cuckoo clock was born. Later, this design was expanded and modified to include carvings of animals and plants.
Addition
UNESCO has added two Ukrainian events to its Calendar of Anniversaries for 2026–2027. These are the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra reserve and the 150th anniversary of the birth of composer Mykola Leontovych.