The Black Forest- Schwarzwald

by Kelsey Kubiak, David Grow, and Patrick Donohue

The Forest 

The Schwartzwald, or Black Forest as it is known in English, is located in the state of Baden-Württemburg. The highest peak in the Black Forest is the Feldberg, at 1,493 meters. It has a length of 200km and width of 60km, making it nearly 12,000 km squared. The Romans originally named the mountains there Silva Negra (black forest), because the trees were so thick they blocked out most of the light in the forest. According to “About-Germany.com”, the Black Forest is known for three things:  the landscape, the cuckoo clock, and the Black Forest Gateau, also known as the Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte. The Black Forest was also the inspiration for many of the tales of the Brothers Grimm.
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Black Forest Gateau, or Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte

The Black Forest Gateau is one of the most recognizable desserts from the Black Forest. It is a decadant chocolate cake made with cherries, whipped cream, chocolate shavings, and the local specialty liquor, Schwartzwälder Kirschwasser. The area is known in part for its sour cherries, which, in addition to the liquor, give the cake its signature kick. In 1949 it took 13^th as the best-known German Cakes. The definitive origin of the cake is unknown, but it is thought to have been invented by Josef Keller in 1915. This original recipe now lies with the son of a family friend, Claus Schaefer, the current head chef of Konditori Schaefer, where he continues to make the original.
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Influence on the Brothers Grimm 

Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm were two famous German novelists that began writing fairytale stories in 1807. The Black Forest was a major influence on the Brothers Grimm when they wrote some of their darkest fairy tales.  One of the most famous stories that the Brothers Grimm wrote was the tale of Hansel and Gretel.  Hansel and Gretel live in a woodshop on the edge of a great forest, and during the story they get lost in the Black Forest and must try and escape a witch.  Another famous fairytale that takes place in the Black Forest is Little Red Cap.  In this story a little girl is delivering a piece of cake and a bottle of wine to her sick Grandmother.  Along her way she meets a wolf who ends up eating her Grandmother and dressing up in the Grandmother’s clothes in an attempt to eat Little Red Cap too.  From these two tales; the Brothers Grimm tried to make the Black Forest seem mysterious and dangerous by writing tales that some people back in the 1800’s actually believed.  They would get stories from peasants and farmers but the brothers would make the stories happier by including childlike story lines. The first two editions they wrote called, Deutsche Sagen, contained over 585 different legends.
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Brothers Grimm Picture
Little Red Riding Hood Picture 

The Cuckoo Clock

Who Made It?

 Since the 18^th century, people have argued about where the first cuckoo clock was derived from.  Books were written about it and 3 main people stand out in the invention of the cuckoo clock.      In 1796 a man named Father Franz Steyrer wrote a book on how he had passed a clock peddler by a town in black forest who sold some clocks to a bohemian merchant.  This man then examined the clocks and made replicas of his own to sell.  But later around 1927 another man wrote a book about this by the name of Adolf Kistner, he states that no bohemians had a hand in making the cuckoo clocks because Bohemia had no clock making businesses during that time period.  To this day it’s not clear who created the first one and there are no traces of where the first production line of cuckoo clocks came from.  Franken-Niederbayern in East Germany is the most likely spot near the Bohemia incident.  However the Cuckoo clock became famous because the black forest people eventually developed a cuckoo clock industry where they would create new designs, improve and redesign parts of the clock, and make it technically more reliable.

Cuckoo Clock Features, Different Styles and Models

Schilduhr 18^th Century -This is the earliest cuckoo clock design, usually given as a wedding gift with the groom and brides names painted or engraved on it. No fancy wood carvings, just paint on a flat two dimensional surface. Also this model had no cabinet to box in the internal clock work.  This type of clock was not mass produced and was made in small quantities that would be sold by door to door clock makers. 
Schilduhr Picture 

Rahmenuhr early 19^th Century -Known as the framed clock, these were also scarce but easier to mass produce thanks to the invention of lithography which was sort of like etching.  This made it easier to create the same exact image in mass quantities.  The pictures on this model of clock were more detailed than the previous version and would feature outdoor scenery, portraits of people, mythology, and religious images.  The cuckoo bird would then blend into the scene somehow and jump out of the picture chirp to the hour of the day. 
Rahmenuhr Pictures 

The Bahnhäusle mid 1800’s- This design was inspired by Friedrich Eisenlohr, an architect who is famous for constructing buildings along the Badenian Rhine valley railroad.  This had flat cut outs of vines, leaves and other foliage surrounding the clockwork, later a newer version had spun off this almost identical.  It was called the Jagdstück, which featured even more detail an attention towards the outdoors.  Many times there would be scenes of hunting and animals
Bahnhaeusle Pictures 

Weltgrösste Kuckucksuhr - This gift store is actually a 50:1 scale of a normal cuckoo clock. It’s one of the largest attractions in Wiesbaden and is the most photographed stores in Europe.  Every cuckoo clock made here is hand made to the smallest detail, every shingle is hand cut and every wood carving is made individually with no two alike. 
Weltgroesste Outside
Weltgroesste Inside