The Galgeninsel is a

peninsula A peninsula is a landform that extends from a mainland and is only connected to land on one side. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula. Etymology The word ''peninsula'' derives , . T ...

on the shore of

Lake Constance Lake Constance (, ) refers to three bodies of water on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps: Upper Lake Constance (''Obersee''), Lower Lake Constance (''Untersee''), and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, called the Seerhein (). These ...

near

Lindau Lindau (, ''Lindau am Bodensee''; ; Low Alemannic German, Low Alemannic: ''Lindou'') is a major Town#Germany, town and Lindau (island), island on the eastern side of Lake Constance (''Bodensee'' in German) in Bavaria, Germany. It is the capital ...

in the Bay of Reutin in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

Geography

The Galgeninsel peninsula lies 550 metres east of the

island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...

Hoy Hoy may refer to: People Given name * Hoy Menear (died 2023), American politician * Hoy Phallin (born 1995), Cambodian footballer * Hoy Wong (1920–2009), American bartender Surname * Hoy (surname), a Scottish and Irish surname * H� ...

and about 200 metres south of the loading sidings of Reutin's goods yard, and covers an area of around 1,600 square metres. The territory of the peninsula belongs to the borough of Lindau and '' Gemarkung'' of Reutin.

History

The Galgeninsel was originally the island on which the

gallows A gallows (or less precisely scaffold) is a frame or elevated beam, typically wooden, from which objects can be suspended or "weighed". Gallows were thus widely used to suspend public weighing scales for large and heavy objects such as sa ...

of the Free Imperial City of Lindau stood. Even today, a hole can be seen in a mighty stone block which once held the heavy gallows post. A 16th-century map still shows the Galgeninsel as an island, but not in the correct geographical location. A view of the town dating to the early 18th century gives no indication of whether it was an island or peninsula at that time, because it only appears at the edge of the picture. An 1836 map still clearly shows the Galgeninsel as an island or several islands. Later maps show the Galgeninsel as a peninsula. By 1856, the remains of a prehistoric settlement were observed in the lake near the Galgeninsel. More recent investigations, as part of the planned expansion of the goods year in 2005, did not yield archaeological finds however. The Galgeninsel and the surrounding Bay of Reutin (''Reutiner Bucht'') have been designated as a

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

. There is a story of a macabre test which a criminal who was under the

death sentence Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence ordering that an offender be punished in s ...

had to undergo. His arms were tied tightly across his back, he was released on Galgeninsel and marched towards Inselstadt, which was a few hundred metres away. The criminal succeeded in making his way through the water, which is deep even at low tide, and reached the mainland. He thus regained his life and freedom. The last person to be sentenced as a result of the

witch trial A witch hunt, or a witch purge, is a search for people who have been labeled witches or a search for evidence of witchcraft. Practicing evil spells or Incantation, incantations was proscribed and punishable in early human civilizations in the ...

s in Lindau was Maria Madlener. She was executed by sword on 4 August 1730 on the Galgeninsel. In 2017 the Galgeninsel was the setting of the German TV film, ''Die Toten vom Bodensee – Der Wiederkehrer''.

References

Literature

External links

Regierung von Schwaben: Schutzgebiet Reutiner Bucht
{{Lake Constance Peninsulas of Germany Former islands of Germany Geography of Lake Constance Lindau (district)