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How did the Congress of Vienna change Switzerland's government?

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Watercolor etching by August Friedrich Andreas Campe showing diplomats and military officers in ornate uniforms gathered around a large table with maps at the Congress of Vienna. — Congress of Vienna *The Congress of Vienna*, watercolor etching by August Friedrich Andreas Campe; in the collection of the State Borodino War and History Museum, Moscow.

The Congress of Vienna (1814–1815) significantly reshaped Switzerland’s political structure following the Napoleonic Wars. Rather than creating a centralized government, the Congress established the Swiss Confederation as a loose union of sovereign states, primarily focused on common defense and maintaining internal order.12

Key changes to Switzerland's government and territory included:

Expansion of the Confederation: The Congress added three former allies—Valais, Neuchâtel, and Geneva—to the Swiss Confederation, bringing the total number of cantons to 22.1
Dual Status for Neuchâtel: The Congress granted Neuchâtel a unique dual status: it was recognized as a Swiss canton while simultaneously serving as a hereditary principality under the personal rule of the king of Prussia.3
Territorial Adjustments: While the Congress added new cantons, it also transferred the Valtellina from Graubünden to Austria.1
Perpetual Neutrality: Through the Second Treaty of Paris in 1815, the European powers formally recognized and guaranteed the perpetual neutrality of the Swiss Confederation.1