July 10, 2025, 9:08 am | Read time: 4 minutes
In the Black Forest town of Triberg, visitors can marvel at a genuine world record holder that’s been attracting attention for over 30 years: the largest cuckoo clock on the planet. Its dimensions are so enormous that you can actually step inside it. Behind this unique superlative—which is even listed in the Guinness Book of Records—stands a family business that has been crafting clocks for five generations. TRAVELBOOK writer Robin Hartmann took a closer look at this quirky masterpiece.
If you’re traveling on the Bundesstraße 33 in the Black Forest, you’ll encounter a truly unusual attraction near the town of Triberg. Here stands the world’s largest cuckoo clock, which has been in place for more than 30 years. At first glance, you might not recognize it as such, as its dimensions are more reminiscent of a small single-family home. It is the flagship of the Eble Clock Park, currently operated by the Eble family in its fifth generation. TRAVELBOOK author Robin Hartmann had the quirky world record holder, which even has its own entry in the Guinness Book, explained to him by managing director Ralf Eble.
The dimensions of the world’s largest cuckoo clock are astonishing. The clockwork alone measures 4.50 by 4.50 meters. The “case” in which it is housed is so large that several people can stand upright inside. The cuckoo itself, which appears to visitors twice an hour, is an incredible 4.50 meters tall and weighs 150 kilograms. The pendulum of the clock is eight meters long and weighs 100 kilos, with the total weight of the clockwork being a monstrous six tons. But it took 15 years for the vision to become a reality that now attracts busloads of tourists.
Complete Custom Fabrication
“The preparations alone took about 10 years,” says master clockmaker Ralf Eble in an interview with TRAVELBOOK. “The actual construction then took another five years.” This was realized by the creator of the cuckoo clock together with his father Ewald. In 1994, the unique masterpiece was completed, built on a scale of 60:1, with a model that was only 7.5 by 7.5 centimeters serving as a template. The Ebles are particularly proud: “Not a single part comes from mass production. It is a complete custom fabrication.” But how did they come up with the unusual superlative in the first place?
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Ralf Eble recalls: “A bypass was being built at the clock shop at the time. As a result, the unattractive back of the building suddenly became a focal point. It made perfect sense to build an oversized cuckoo clock. And if we were going to do it, it had to be the world’s largest.” The quirky record was in their sights from the start. The family spared no expense, with the construction of the clock costing about one million euros, and today it occupies an entire house on the sales floor of the Clock Park. Since 1997, the superlative has also been officially recognized as the world’s largest cuckoo clock by the Guinness Book of Records.
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The Boss Handles the Maintenance Himself
Incidentally, the maintenance and upkeep of the world’s largest cuckoo clock is handled personally by the boss. “You have to oil and lubricate it at regular intervals, just like a smaller clock,” says Eble. “Only here, the intervals are shorter.” The mega-craftsman is particularly pleased with the clock’s accuracy, which is only +/- three seconds per day. However, the world record clock is not a revenue booster. “We serve two different groups here. On one hand, the customers, and then the visitors.” The latter, by the way, mostly come from Europe.
If you want to see (and enter) the world’s largest cuckoo clock for yourself, you have the opportunity all year round. From Easter to October, the Eble Clock Park is open Mon-Sat from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The rest of the year, the doors are open Mon-Sat from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission to the giant clock is three euros for adults, and children up to ten years old pay nothing when accompanied by a guardian. Groups of 10 or more can arrange a tour for 2.50 euros per guest. The Eble company has been making clocks on site since 1880–and of course, you can also buy a cuckoo clock in a regular size during your visit.
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By the way, there are a few other record holders in terms of cuckoo clocks to admire in the Black Forest. For example, near Triberg in Schonach is the very first world record holder in this field, a cuckoo clock with a clockwork 3.60 meters long and 3.10 meters high. This too was in the Guinness Book of Records and is now generally known as the “1st World’s Largest Cuckoo Clock.” And the widest model of this kind can also be found in the Black Forest, namely in Hornberg. The Hornberg Clock Games have also been officially listed in the Guinness Book since 1997.