Swiss Associates, also known as Associated Places, Zugewandte Orte (Facing Places),Andreas Würgler: "Facing Places", in: ''Historical Lexicon of Switzerland (HLS)'' , version from February 26, 2014. Online: https://hls-dhs-dss.ch/de/articles/009815/2014-02-26/ , consulted on January 9, 2024. or Pays Alliés (Allied Countries), were associate states of the

Old Swiss Confederacy The Old Swiss Confederacy, also known as Switzerland or the Swiss Confederacy, was a loose confederation of independent small states (, German or ), initially within the Holy Roman Empire. It is the precursor of the modern state of Switzerlan ...

, with some form of alliance agreement with either the entire Confederation or individual

cantons A canton is a type of administrative division of a country. In general, cantons are relatively small in terms of area and population when compared with other administrative divisions such as counties, departments, or provinces. Internationally, th ...

. The associates were extremely heterogeneous. They had no institution that bound them together, other than their alliances with the Swiss Confederacy. Some had extremely close bonds with the Confederation, whereas others were only bound with one or two cantons. Generally, all nations that were related to the Confederation that were not subjects nor fully fledged cantons were considered associates. Whereas members of the Swiss Confederacy were not permitted to form alliances or ties with outside states without consent of all cantons, the associates were permitted to form their own alliances and conduct their own diplomacy.

Grisons The Grisons (; ) or Graubünden (),Names include: * ; *Romansh language, Romansh: ** ** ** ** ** **; * ; * ; * . See also list of European regions with alternative names#G, other names. more formally the Canton of the Grisons or the Canton ...

for example even had their own delegates at the

Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon, Napol ...

. Following the creation of the Federal Diet, associate states were also permitted to send delegates as representatives in the diet. However, not all associate states were not granted the right vote.Würgler, A.: ''Tagsatzung'' in German, French and Italian in the online ''

Historical Dictionary of Switzerland The ''Historical Dictionary of Switzerland'' (Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse; DHS) is an encyclopedia on the history of Switzerland. It aims to present the history of Switzerland in the form of an encyclopaedia, published both on paper a ...

''.; September 1, 2004 Over time, many associates were gradually absorbed into the cantons, or became cantons themselves. By 1815, the remaining associates would become part of the modern

Swiss Confederacy The Old Swiss Confederacy, also known as Switzerland or the Swiss Confederacy, was a loose confederation of independent small states (, German or ), initially within the Holy Roman Empire. It is the precursor of the modern state of Switzerlan ...

Etymology

The origin of the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

term ''Zugewandte Orte'' (literally meaning Facing Places) is unknown, but it was used in 15th century Swiss sources to refer to certain secular and

ecclesiastical {{Short pages monitor