German Clock Museum (Deutsches Uhrenmuseum)
German Clock Museum (Deutsches Uhrenmuseum) is one of the narrated stops on the self-guided Black Forest audio walking tour in Gingerguide. Plan about ~60 min here. Press play at the spot for its two to three minute story, or ask the AI guide anything about it.
- Type museum
- Suggested visit ~60 min
- Black Forest Black Forest guide
About German Clock Museum (Deutsches Uhrenmuseum)
Furtwangen's Deutsches Uhrenmuseum, home to thousands of timepieces that tell the Black Forest's clock-making story, from lacquered shield clocks to the cuckoo clocks the region made famous.
The Deutsches Uhrenmuseum, the German Clock Museum, is in Furtwangen im Schwarzwald, in the central Black Forest. Its collection began in 1852, when Robert Gerwig, director of the grand-ducal Baden clockmaking school, started assembling historic clocks; the collection was first shown publicly in 1858 at an industrial exhibition in Villingen. The current museum building opened in 1992, and the museum belongs to Furtwangen University. It holds more than 8,000 objects, with about 1,300 clocks on permanent display, documenting the region's clock-making tradition, including its famous cuckoo clocks.
The holdings range from 18th- and 19th-century lacquered shield clocks to 18th-century cuckoo clocks, including an example by Johannes Wildi from around 1780. Notable pieces include Thaddäus Rinderle's astronomical-geographical clock of 1787 and a monumental musical automaton clock by August Noll of about 1880, alongside a mechanical orrery by Philipp Matthäus Hahn and an early Paris pendulum clock of 1680. The museum recorded about 60,000 visitors in 2010.
Did you know? The collection began in 1852 when Robert Gerwig, director of the Baden clockmaking school, started gathering historic clocks. First shown in 1858, it now holds over 8,000 objects, about 1,300 on permanent display.
How long should you spend at German Clock Museum (Deutsches Uhrenmuseum)?
Plan about ~60 min at German Clock Museum (Deutsches Uhrenmuseum). That is enough to take it in and hear its narrated story; stay longer if it grabs you. The tour is self-guided, so there is no rush.
Is German Clock Museum (Deutsches Uhrenmuseum) worth visiting?
German Clock Museum (Deutsches Uhrenmuseum) is one of the 13 sights the Gingerguide team researched and narrated in Black Forest, so it earns a place on a self-guided walk. Its story explains why it matters, and you can ask the AI guide anything the story leaves open.
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