19th century

After the end of the Napoleonic Wars, Austria recognized Switzerland's independence at the Congress of Vienna. However, relations were strained. Switzerland accepted republican refugees, which displeased reactionary Austria under Metternich, for example in the 1820s when numerous persecutes from Turin and Naples found asylum in Switzerland, where Austria had put down uprisings. In 1823, after Austria threatened to invade, Switzerland was forced to adopt a law, which included surveillance of the domestic press and restrictions on the right of asylum. After the start of the Regeneration period in 1830 and the end of the Restoration in Switzerland, Metternich wanted again to launch an attack on Switzerland in 1832, but France and the United Kingdom refused to aid him.^[2]

During the Sonderbund War of 1847, Metternich supported the conservative and Catholic camp, and Austria provided 100,000 guilders to the Sonderbund. However, due to the onset of the revolutions of 1848/1849, the Austrians were no longer able to intervene effectively, as other problems had become more pressing. To Austria's displeasure, arms and soldiers reached the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia from Switzerland to support the uprising there against Austrian rule. Overall, relations in the first half of the 19th century were mixed, as both sides distrusted each other. There was also little economic exchange, as the road connections between the two countries were hardly developed and a protectionist economic policy was pursued.^[2]

The admission of Italian refugees from Milan in 1853 again led to a crisis, and Austria blocked the border with Ticino. The blockade was lifted in 1855. After Austria's defeat in the Austro-Prussian War in 1866, relations became better, partly because there were fears in Switzerland about Prussia after the Neuchâtel Crisis 1856/1857. A postal and trade agreement was concluded between the two states and a dispute over the course of the Swiss border with Tyrol was settled in 1868. Even the assassination of Empress Elisabeth in Geneva by an anarchist in 1898 did not strain relations, as Emperor Franz Joseph I was lenient towards the Swiss. In the second half of the 19th century, with better political relations, economic relations were also significantly intensified and several trade agreements were concluded between the two countries. Projects such as the Gotthard Tunnel also strengthened the economic integration of the Alpine regions.^[2]

1900−1945

The dissolution of Austria-Hungary by the Treaty of Saint-Germain (1919) created ambiguities regarding Switzerland's legal relations with German Austria, for example regarding Austria's national debt to the Swiss. Switzerland therefore recognized the First Republic of Austria only on January 9, 1920, which angered the Austrians. In Vorarlberg, the population also demanded annexation to Switzerland in a referendum in 1919, which was rejected by Switzerland because of the change in the linguistic and confessional balance in Switzerland that would have occurred. The numerous disputes between Austria and Switzerland were not settled until 1925 and 1927, respectively, with the conclusion of treaties, so that diplomatic relations normalized.^[2]

The rise of Adolf Hitler in Germany caused alarm in Switzerland. After the Austrofascist Engelbert Dollfuß seized power, the political left in Switzerland showed solidarity with the persecuted opposition. Austria's annexation by Nazi Germany in 1938 led to a precarious situation for Switzerland, and thousands of refugees crossed the border into Switzerland. Switzerland then attempted to strengthen its defensive capabilities. However, it was forced to diplomatically recognize the annexation of Austria due to Germany's overwhelming power. After the end of the Second World War, Switzerland provided Austria with humanitarian aid in the form of donations amounting to at least 53.5 million Swiss francs.^[2]

After the Second World War

The Second Republic of Austria was proclaimed on April 27, 1945, and recognized by Switzerland on November 2. Soon after, diplomatic missions were established, and close relations were built even before Austria's sovereignty, strengthened by the aid that the Swiss provided to Austria. In 1955, Austria finally regained its sovereignty and became a neutral state on the model of Switzerland. Austrian neutrality was distinguished by a more active foreign policy during the Cold War, and in 1979 Vienna competed with Bern for the site as the third UN headquarters, with Vienna prevailing. Austria became closely integrated into the European economy and Switzerland also benefited from the post-war boom. A free trade agreement between Switzerland and Austria was established in 1972. Cooperation between the two countries was also very close in other areas, and by 2008 the two countries had concluded more than 80 bilateral agreements.^[2]