Woodworking spots to visit while in Europe?

[Ben Martin]

So LOML and I are going to Europe for two weeks at the end of May to pickup my/our new car, stops will include a "loop" from Milan, Munich, Amsterdam, Brussels, the Black Forest, Switzerland and then back to Munich. Anyone have any suggestions of "can't miss" woodworking related places that we need to check out? From the research we have done so far, I think that the Black Forest will be really neat, but not any woodworking specific places.

I realize that this is sort of an open ended question, but any suggestions would be appreciated.

Does Festool have a factory outlet store??? :D

[Pat Germain]

Shoot, there's amazing woodwork almost everywhere you look in Europe. Enter any old church and you'll find carvings to write home about.

In the Black Forest area is a small town called Triberg. It's known for cuckoo clocks. While the clocks themselves are pretty cool, outside of town there's a small building which is a GIGANTIC cuckoo clock. You can walk around inside where all the gears and mechanisms are made of wood. It's pretty amazing to behold.

Triberg is a touristy town, but in a good way. The scenery is beautiful. There's a nice waterfall. The people are nice. And, if you want to buy a cuckoo clock, that's the place to do it. (Which reminds me, I took down the clock I bought in Triberg when I painted last year. It's time I put that clock back up!)

[Graham Wintersgill]

It is not woodworking but it is big boys toys:

http://www.miniatur-wunderland.com/

Though Hamburg might be a bit out of your way.

Regards

[John Pratt]

Just about every small town in the Black Forest and Bavaria has some type of Coo-coo clock store and several of the smaller towns have shops that do some incredible carvings. Just have to keep your eyes open as you pass through the towns. To see some truely fantastic craftsmanship and history in furniture, try the Metz France flea market just across the border from Germany. You can even pick up a few pieces if you can figure out how to get them back to the States. This is not your typical U.S. flea market. It is not uncommon to find side boards, hutches, etc that are a few hundred years old. A lot of the dealers don't consider them "antiques". Two hundred years old is only a drop in the bucket when you are looking at other things that are 600 years old or older. LOML and I picked up several pieces during my 8 years living in Bavaria. If you get anywhere near a U.S. Military installation and see a U.S. Soldier, ask them where a good local store is and they may be able to help you in the right direction or just ask a local. As stated, Triberg is quite interesting, but touristy.