manor which was part of the building complex of the Fronhof. At about the middle of the thirteenth century Zons castrum (castle) was fortified. The location of the older rural settlement of Zons can only be presumed based on field-names and topography. The field-name „Im Hofstädtchen“ at today's Aldenhovenstraße near the Old Town could reference to this settlement with the crossing paths at this spot being a possible additional indicator. In 1372 the Archbishop of Cologne moved the Rhine toll castle from Neuss upstream to Zons protecting it with walls and moats and granting Zons the town privileges in 1373. At the centre of the fortress was the thick fortified Friedestrom Castle which served the administration and protection of the toll and housed the administration of the new parish Zons. The obviously planned building of the toll fortress with town walls was finished probably in the 15th century. The rectangular to trapeziform town layout is surrounded by a wall strengthened with basalt stones. The wall stretches in north–south direction over about and in west–east direction over . At the corners are towers built in different shapes: to the northeast the rectangular Rhein-, Zoll- or Peters-Turm (Rhine, Toll or Peters Tower); to the northwest the circular Krötschenturm (Krötschen Tower); to the southwest the circular Mühlenturm (Mill Tower), which was converted from a defensive tower to a tower mill as late as the Late Middle Ages; to the southeast the Schlossturm (Palace Tower) and in town at the castle wall the circular Juddeturm (Judde Tower: high, roof starts at height, baroque roof ). The name Juddeturm probably refers to the patrician family Jude in Cologne. Two public gates gave access to the town: in the north the Rheintor (Rhine Gate), in the west the Feldtor (Field Gate). During the 19th century the first was partly, the latter almost entirely dismantled. A third outer gate, the Südtor (South Gate), which is preserved best, is the entrance from the zwinger (enclosed killing ground) to the Vorburg (lower ward). The small town had only 124 plots for houses. The parish Zons comprised also the village Stürzelberg, part of the village Horrem and the village of Haus Bürgel, which is nowadays located on the opposite banks of the river Rhine. Regarding church and court of justice matters Haus Bürgel and Zons originally belonged together. The canon law for the parish Bürgel/Zons was governed by Brauweiler Abbey.