Kleinschmalkalden is a small village in the Thuringian Forest of Germany, situated high in the valley of the Schmalkalden 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.