The German instrument was called a Sheitholt. I read about it in Jean Richie's Dulcimer book and coincidentally I saw one last weekend.   I went to Staunton, Virginia and visited the Museum of Frontier Culture. They had reconstructed farmsteads from Germany, Ulster and England as being representive of places of origin of the various peoples who settled in the Valley of Virinia. I walked into the German exhibit and there it was! I immediately blurted out "Oh a sheitholt!" and the guide was really surprised (not many people who visit the museum know what it is). He played a tune on it for me! It does resemble a dulcimer but it has more strings. I took a picture of it and I'll try to put it on line later.