Kleinschmalkalden is a small village in the Thuringian Forest

Thuringian Forest

The Thuringian Forest running northwest to southeast, forms a continuous stretch of ancient rounded mountains posing ample difficulties in transit routing save through a few navigable passes in the southern reaches of the German state of Thuringia. It is about long and wide...

 of Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

, situated high in the valley of the Schmalkalden

Schmalkalden

- Notable people :*Christoph Cellarius, scholar, born 22 November 1638, died 4 June 1707 in Halle*Christian Karl August Ludwig von Massenbach, colonel, born 16 April 1758, died 21 November 1827 at Białokosz...

 river. The stream which passes through the heart of the village was, for several hundred years, until the end of the Second World War, also a political boundary creating two distinct villages separated by only a few metres of water. Population, as of 2006, is about 1500 persons. Its recorded history can be traced back to at least 1378, the year regarded as its establishment.

The village is the home of the world's largest cowbell manufactured by the local firm Venter Glocken. The cowbell is 9' 10" tall and weighs 2024 pounds.