MAX KRUG CLOCKS
Go a little Souvenir Shopping Cuckoo in Munich
The
cuckoo clock, that noisy but endlessly fascinating form of time piece
characterized by hand-carved
wood forest
motifs of deer, birds,
leaves and pine cones in amazingly ornate patterns around a door from
which the tiny cuckoo bird emerges to tweet an hourly alarm, was an invention
of Black Forest craftsmen who in days of old would tot their wares around
on their backs. The small bird mechanism was regional smaller version
of the German Glockenspiel, the mechanical clock with figures that twirl
and move at appointed time. One of the most famous glockenspiels still
operating in Germany is the one in the tour of Munich Town Hall (Neu
Rathaus) in the city’s main old town square the Marienplatz (see Walking
Munich). Should the wonder of the woodland version strike
your fancy, or passion, and your travel plans won’t allow for a
trip to the Cuckoo Clock Museum in Triberg www.uhren-park.de, you need
not
go to the Black Forest to find a Cuckoo to fall in love with and take
home.
The
Max Krug Company has been making cuckoo clocks in the Black Forest
since the 1920’s. Their store, distinctive in its Bavarian blue
and gold awning. located on the main pedestrian street halfway between
the Marienplatz and the Karlstor Gate in central altstadt Munchen (next
to Michaelskirche) is a tiny wonderland of the tick-tocking, chiming
and chirping wood clocks from the land of “coo coo”. While
meant for the public consumer and not museum pieces, Max Krug’s
cuckoo clocks are hand made from rich woods produced in the Black Forest
with quality modern movements. The clocks come with two kinds of movements,
those with just a Cuckoo which calls the full hour and once on the half
hour, or a musical version which plays alternating tunes after the bird
does his thing. They come in with movements that have to be wound every
day by pulling the winding chain and versions that will last for a week
between windings. They range in size from about 14 inches tall to over
3 feet tall, and a range of prices. The clocks follow set design patterns,
but the hand-carving makes for no clock being exactly the same and all
come with night-time shut off for the sound mechanisim.
The
store will ship the clocks worldwide so you needn’t worry
about packing it in a suitcase. If shipped out of the country they can
be purchased vat tax free, but import duty may apply depending on the
country. You can also order Max Krug Cuckoo clocks online. While their
specialty is clocks, the Max Krug store also sells souvenir beer steins
(also called krug), but if you don't find a stein you like there, the
store of Herrmann Geschenke is just next door on Neuhauserstr with 400
stein varieties along with other gift souvenirs and memorabilia. © Bargain
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Max Krug
Herrmann Geschenke
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