title: Cithrinchen
text: # Cithrinchen
  
  The Cithrinchen or Bell cittern was a distinctively shaped instrument of the renaissance and baroque periods. It was usually strung with doubled courses of thin, light tension brass or steel strings. It usually had 3 soundholes (with decorative roses) and 5 (or sometimes 6 or more) courses (pairs) of strings. It was popular in Germany, England and Sweden.
  
  Most such instruments built nowadays are reconstructions of historical instruments, or modern mandolin-type instruments which simply use the same body shape as the historical Cithrinchen.
  
  ## Gallery
  
  * Cithrinchen in the Met Museum, New York, USA.
  * Cithrinchen in the Bayerisches Nationalmuseum, Munich, Germany
  * Cithrinchen in the Germanisches Nationalmuseum - Nuremberg, Germany, front view
  * Cithrinchen in the Germanisches Nationalmuseum - Nuremberg, Germany, rear view
  