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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.

Munich ( MEW-nik; German: München [ˈmʏnçn̩]; Austro-Bavarian: Minga [ˈmɪŋ(ː)ɐ]; Slovene: Monakovo; Latin: Monachium; Italian: Monaco di Baviera) is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, the second most populous German federal stateWith a population of around 1.5 million, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Hamburg, and thus the largest which does not constitute its own state, as well as the 11th-largest city in the European UnionThe city's metropolitan region is home to 6 million peopleStraddling the banks of the River Isar (a tributary of the Danube) north of the Bavarian Alps, it is the seat of the Bavarian administrative region of Upper Bavaria, while being the most densely populated municipality in Germany (4,500 people per km²)Munich is the second-largest city in the Bavarian dialect area, after the Austrian capital of Vienna, Munich was one of the host cities of the official tournament of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The city is a global centre of art, science, technology, finance, publishing, culture, innovation, education, business, and tourism and enjoys a very high standard and quality of living, reaching first in Germany and third worldwide according to the 2018 Mercer survey, and being rated the world's most liveable city by the Monocle's Quality of Life Survey 2018.

According to the Globalization and World Rankings Research Institute Munich is considered an alpha-world city, as of 2015Munich is a major international center of engineering, science, innovation, and research, exemplified by the presence of two research universities, a multitude of scientific institutions in the city and its surroundings, and world class technology and science museums like the Deutsches Museum and BMW MuseumMunich houses many multinational companies and its economy is based on high tech, automobiles, the service sector and creative industries, as well as IT, biotechnology, engineering and electronics among many others. The name of the city is derived from the Old/Middle High German term Munichen, meaning "by the monks"It derives from the monks of the Benedictine order, who ran a monastery at the place that was later to become the Old Town of Munich; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat of armsMunich was first mentioned in 1158.

Catholic Munich strongly resisted the Reformation and was a political point of divergence during the resulting Thirty Years' War, but remained physically untouched despite an occupation by the Protestant SwedesOnce Bavaria was established as a sovereign kingdom in 1806, it became a major European centre of arts, architecture, culture and scienceIn 1918, during the German Revolution, the ruling house of Wittelsbach, which had governed Bavaria since 1180, was forced to abdicate in Munich and a short-lived socialist republic was declared. In the 1920s, Munich became home to several political factions, among them the NSDAPThe first attempt of the Nazi movement to take over the German government in 1923 with the Beer Hall Putsch was stopped by the Bavarian police in Munich with gunfireAfter the Nazis' rise to power, Munich was declared their "Capital of the Movement".

During World War II, Munich was heavily bombed and more than 50% of the entire city and up to 90% of the historic centre were destroyedAfter the end of postwar American occupation in 1949, there was a great increase in population and economic power during the years of Wirtschaftswunder, or "economic miracle"Unlike many other German cities which were heavily bombed, Munich restored most of its traditional cityscape and hosted the 1972 Summer OlympicsThe 1980s brought strong economic growth, high-tech industries and scientific institutions, and population growthThe city is home to major corporations like BMW, Siemens, MAN, Linde, Allianz and MunichRE. Munich is home to many universities, museums and theatres.