Schönach im Schwarzwald is a small village in the central Black Forest, surrounded by dark wooded hills, green pastures, and the kind of rolling landscape that makes this corner of Germany so appealing for walkers. The village sits at about 900 metres above sea level, high enough for reliable snow in winter and cool, clear air in summer.
Schönach's main claim to fame is the world's largest cuckoo clock, a working model built into a house-sized structure on the edge of the village. Cuckoo clock making is a genuine local tradition here, not just a tourist gimmick, and several workshops in and around the village still produce handmade clocks using traditional methods. Beyond the clocks, the village is a quiet base for hiking the surrounding trails in summer and cross-country skiing in winter.