page_title: German Clock Museum
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: German Clock Museum / History
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Wanduhr mit Abbildung der Furtwanger Gewerbehalle, dem ersten ständigen Ausstellungsgebäude der "Historischen Uhrensammlung" , um 1880 (Deutsches Uhrenmuseum, Inv. 2011-044)
context_page_description: The German Clock Museum is situated near the centre of the Black Forest town of Furtwangen im Schwarzwald, a historical centre of clockmaking. It features permanent and temporary exhibits on the history of timekeeping. The museum is part of the local technical college.
  The museum is devoted to the history of timekeeping devices. A major focus is on clockmaking in the Black Forest, both as a cottage industry and on an industrial scale. The museum has an extensive collection of clocks and other artefacts relating to horology, not just those from the Black Forest, but also clocks and watches from around the world and spanning from prehistoric times to the present. The collection includes early cuckoo clocks from the 18th century as well as the prototypes of the modern Black Forest souvenir. The work of Robert Gerwig formed a primary basis of the museum.
  Around one third of visitors book a personal guided tour during which clocks and musical instruments are set in motion. Especially during the holidays children may build and decorate a clock in the "clock workshop".
context_section_description: 1852: Robert Gerwig, Director of the Grand Ducal Baden Clockmaking School in Furtwangen, began to collect old clocks as witnesses of traditional handicrafts.
  1858: the collection is exhibited for the first time at the Black Forest Industry Exhibition in Villingen.
  1874: historical clocks together with contemporary products of the region are put on display in the newly built trade hall.
  1925: the first printed collection catalogue of the Adolf Kistner Historical Clock Collection already lists over 1,000 clocks.
  1959: a new building is opened on the site of the old wooden building that had fallen into decay.
  1975: the state of Baden-Württemberg purchases the important clock collection from the Kienzle clock factories and transfers it to the museum. Due to the expansion of its collection to include pocket watches and Renaissance clocks, the "Historic Clock Collection" is renamed in 1978 to the "German Clock Museum".
  1992: the current museum building is opened. Today the German Clock Museum is part of Furtwangen University.
caption: On a wall clock, the first museum building around 1880 (Inv. 2011-044)
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