Niggelturm once protected the Offenburger Tor, the gate at the western end of the town. It also served as prison. It has the prettiest top of them all, a 16th century addition.Niggelturm plays an important part in Gengenbach's carnival tradition. It is the home of the Schalk, the symbolic jester figure, who is said to sleep in here all year round until he is awakened for another Fasend season.The seven storeys of the tower are occupied by the Narrenmuseum („jester museum“) which presents all aspects of Gengenbach's carnival, the traditional masks, the various events and the background of Alemannic Fastnacht.