Cuckoo Clocks - Originating in the black forest it's unknown who actually made the first cuckoo clock. The cuckoo mechanism has remain unchanged since the mid 1700's.Edelweiß - The Edelweiss is a white, fuzzy flower that grows high in the Alps often precariously near the edges and cliffs. Young men (and some cows) would climb up to pick an Edelweiss and bring it back to the girl they were courting.
Gnome - Introduced by Paracelsus, a Swiss physician in the German Renaissance, he described them as very reluctant to interact with humans and able to move through solid earth as easily as humans move through air.
Swiss Cowbells (Kuhglocken) - At the beginning of the summer the cows (except for the milking ones) are sent to the Alps to roam about. At the end of the summer the ones who haven't fallen off a cliff come home and are adorned with fancy necklaces and hats made of flowers. This is called Alpabzug. I have no idea what this has to do with bells, except maybe it's to hear when a cow falls down the mountainside.
Gentian (Enzian) - a blue, fluted flower that, along with the Edelweiß and Primrose (small, purple flower), is a commonly associated with Austrian and Alpine culture. Depictions of these flowers can scan be seen on the obverse side of Austrian pfennis (penny).
Pretzels (Brezel) - Though it's origins are unclear, the pretzel has been used as an emblem of baker's guilds in southern German regions since at least the 12th century.
Stein - Steinzeug means "stoneware" in German, and Steinzeugkrug, means "stoneware jug or tankard". The advantage of using stoneware was molds could be used to mass-produce elaborate steins.
Tyrolian Hat - Also referred to as an Alpine or Bavarian hat, Tyrol hats surviving from the 1830's show it has changed very little. Typically adorned with gamsbart pins (or feather plumes) and hat pins. It eventually became a popular tourist symbol perpetuated by local musicians. And cows.
