Black forest cuckoo clocks have been in existance for around 400 years. They started in the Black Forest region of Germany and are still produced today from the same region. The chalet style of the German clocks originated at the end of the nineteenth century in Switzerland and at that time they were regarded as Swiss souvenirs. During this time, three styles of chalet clocks were born - the Swiss chalet, Black Forest chalet and the Bavarian chalet. With the Bavarian chalet, came the incorporation of a Swiss music box of which the most popular melodies were "Happy Wanderer" and "Edelweiss" and this is why today you will most often see these songs in German chalet and cuckoo clocks.
