Vienna  Austria

Photography by Bill and Dorothy Bell

Vienna (IPA: /viˈɛnə/; in German: Wien IPA: [/viːn/]; see also other names) is the capital of Austria, and is also one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city; with a population of about 1.7 million ^[1] (2.3 million within the metropolitan area), it is by far the largest city in Austria as well as its cultural, economic, and political center. It is the 10th largest city by population in the European Union and was listed by Mercer Human Resource Consulting as having the 2nd highest quality of living (as of 2008)^[2]. Vienna is host to many major international organizations such as the United Nations and OPEC. Vienna lies in the very east of Austria and is close to the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. In 2001, the city centre was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site^[3] and in 2005 an Economist Intelligence Unit study of 127 world cities ranked it first equal with Vancouver for the quality of life.^[4]

^{Click on photo to view in larger format}