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Invention of the cuckoo clock

The invention of the cuckoo clock is generally credited to the Black Forest clockmaker Franz Anton Ketterer, who built the first cuckoo clock in 1730. However, there are also reports that suggest that clocks with cuckoo calls existed before then. The French clockmaker Julien Le Roy, for example, is said to have developed a clock with a cuckoo call as early as the late 17th century. Nonetheless, Franz Anton Ketterer is the one who is generally credited with inventing the cuckoo clock, as he was the first to produce and popularize the clock on a larger scale. Since then cuckoo clocks have found their way all over the world and have become a symbol of the craftsmanship of the Black Forest and Germany.

More about the life of Franz Anton Ketterer

Franz Anton Ketterer was a clockmaker from the Black Forest and is credited with inventing the cuckoo clock. He was born in Schönwald in the Black Forest in 1676 and began his career as a watchmaker in Furtwangen in 1709.

Ketterer was known for his watchmaking skills and creative streak in developing new watch designs. In 1730 he built the first cuckoo clock, which he equipped with a wooden mechanism. The clock was a great success and soon Ketterer began producing his cuckoo clocks on a larger scale.

Over the years, Ketterer continued to develop the cuckoo clock and added further functions, such as chimes, jukeboxes and moving figures. His cuckoo clocks were very popular and soon became a symbol of Black Forest craftsmanship.

Franz Anton Ketterer died in 1748, but his invention of the cuckoo clock lives on to this day. Today, his cuckoo clocks are highly coveted by collectors and watch enthusiasts all over the world. In addition, cuckoo clocks are also an important part of the Black Forest's tourist heritage, attracting thousands of visitors every year who want to admire and buy the clocks.