and Kleiner Regen as well as to a junction of streets. Incorporations In the course of regional reforms the community of Klautzenbach was incorporated on 1 October 1971. On 1 January 1978 the larger part of the community of Rabenstein was added, too. The community of Bärnzell spanning over 1250 hectares with 652 inhabitants living there, was incorporated on 1 May 1978. Religions The Protestant church "Kreuzkirche" Roman Catholic church As early as in the year 1356, the place had an own pastoral worker who was subordinated as vicar to the priest of the town of Regen. In 1558 the branch was raised to the status of a parish. From 1962 there is also the Augustinian monastery Maria Trost (OSA) which was founded by monks of the Sudetenland and which belongs to the Vicariate of Vienna. Protestant church As a consequence of the Bavarian Edict of Religion of the year 1803 issued by Elector Maximilian, Protestant Christians started settling in Zwiesel. In 1885 the Evangelic Association Zwiesel was founded and achieved that in 1889 a location for a traveling priest was established in Zwiesel. On 29 May 1895 the neo-Gothic church in the Bahnhofstraße (today renamed in Dr.-Schott-Straße) was inaugurated. In 1922 the Protestant church in Zwiesel was raised to the status of parish. New Apostolic Church A New Apostolic Community with its own church house was also established in Zwiesel. Demographic development In the year of 1800 Zwiesel had 803 inhabitants living in 140 houses. As early as in 1810 the one thousandth inhabitant could be counted. In 1867 the market municipality of Zwiesel had 2,303 inhabitants living in 243 houses. By 1900 the number of inhabitants had increased to 3,760 with 333 houses. After World War II the number increased to 5885 inhabitants. The highest level was reached in the year 1984 with 10,670 people registered. Currently 9,257 people live in the town of Zwiesel and its surrounding neighbourhoods. Politics Town council Since the latest local election on 16 March 2014 the Town Council of Zwiesel is formed as follows: CSU: 7 seats SPD: 5 seats Freie Wähler (Free voters community) FW: 5 seats Parteifreie Wählergemeinschaft (Independent voters' association) PWG: 4 seats The Greens: 3 seats Mayor Since the 13 February 2011 Franz Xaver Steininger has been the First Mayor (independent). He was elected the new mayor in the second ballot with 60.57% of the votes. He was