the name of the gnadensee probably dates to the period when the local judiciary was based on the island of reichenau. if an accused person was found guilty and sentenced to death, the execution could not take place on the island. it had to be carried out on the mainland as the whole island was holy ground. as a result, the convict was taken by boat to the mainland in the direction of present-day allensbach, in order that the sentence could be carried out. if the local ruler, the abbot, wanted to reprieve the criminal, he had a bell rung before the boat reached the far shore. this was a signal to the executioner on the mainland that the convict had received a pardon or "gnade" ("mercy" or "grace" in german).