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Vienna (; German: Wien [viːn]) is the national capital, largest city, and one of nine states of AustriaVienna is Austria's most populous city, with about 1.9 million inhabitants (2.6 million within the metropolitan area, nearly one third of the country's population), and its cultural, economic, and political centreIt is the 6th-largest city by population within city limits in the European Union. Until the beginning of the 20th century, it was the largest German-speaking city in the world, and before the splitting of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in World War I, the city had 2 million inhabitantsToday, it is the second-largest German-speaking city after BerlinVienna is host to many major international organizations, including the United Nations, OPEC and the OSCE.

The city is located in the eastern part of Austria and is close to the borders of Czechia, Slovakia and HungaryThese regions work together in a European Centrope border regionAlong with nearby Bratislava, Vienna forms a metropolitan region with 3 million inhabitantsIn 2001, the city centre was designated a UNESCO World Heritage SiteIn July 2017 it was moved to the list of World Heritage in Danger.

Additionally to being known as the "City of Music" due to its musical legacy, Vienna is also said to be the "City of Dreams", because of it being home to the world's first psychoanalyst Sigmund FreudVienna's ancestral roots lie in early Celtic and Roman settlements that transformed into a Medieval and Baroque cityIt is well known for having played a pivotal role as a leading European music centre, from the age of Viennese Classicism through the early part of the 20th centuryThe historic centre of Vienna is rich in architectural ensembles, including Baroque palaces and gardens, and the late-19th-century Ringstraße lined with grand buildings, monuments and parks.Vienna is known for its high quality of lifeIn a 2005 study of 127 world cities, the Economist Intelligence Unit ranked the city first (in a tie with Vancouver and San Francisco) for the world's most liveable cities.

Between 2011 and 2015, Vienna was ranked second, behind MelbourneIn 2018, it replaced Melbourne as the number one spot and continued as the first in 2019For ten consecutive years (2009–2019), the human-resource-consulting firm Mercer ranked Vienna first in its annual "Quality of Living" survey of hundreds of cities around the worldMonocle's 2015 "Quality of Life Survey" ranked Vienna second on a list of the top 25 cities in the world "to make a base within." The UN-Habitat classified Vienna as the most prosperous city in the world in 2012/2013The city was ranked 1st globally for its culture of innovation in 2007 and 2008, and sixth globally (out of 256 cities) in the 2014 Innovation Cities Index, which analyzed 162 indicators in covering three areas: culture, infrastructure, and markets.

Salzburg (Austrian: [ˈsaltsbʊʁk]; German: [ˈzaltsbʊʁk]; literally "Salt Fortress"; Austro-Bavarian: Soizburg) is the capital city of the State of Salzburg and with 154,211 inhabitants the fourth-largest city in Austria. The town is located on the site of the former Roman settlement of IuvavumSalzburg was founded as an episcopal see in 696 and became a seat of the archbishop in 798Its main sources of income were salt extraction and trade and, at times, gold miningThe fortress of Hohensalzburg, one of the largest medieval fortresses in Europe, dates from the 11th centuryIn the 17th century, Salzburg became a centre of the Counter-Reformation, where monasteries and numerous Baroque churches were built. Salzburg's historic centre (German: Altstadt) is thus renowned for its Baroque architecture and is one of the best-preserved city centres north of the Alps, with 27 churches.