The present name of this highest tower with the strongest walls was taken from the Capuchin monastery that was built in the vicinity in 1595.

The Capuchin Tower was built in 1526 with a clock being added by 1549 that gave the tower its original name – the Hoher Zitturm (High Time Tower). Two other common names (Fürgloggenturm and Luegisland) used in the 17th and 18th centuries pointed to the tower’s various functions. No other tower in the city wall afforded such good views of the city area and so in the event of storms, the city authorities set up watchmen on the tower to warn of fire or flood. Built into the ridge turret is the Peace Clock, which has rung for a quarter of an hour on 8 May each year since 1946 to commemorate the end of World War II.