The system of bourgeoisie stems from medieval urban law which was common to all the cities of Western Europe [citation needed] (see: Bourgeois of Brussels).
This current bourgeoisie system, which can be traced back to the law on the communes of 1866, has gradually lost importance.
However, these institutions still manage some hospitals and, in some cantons, confer a "right to bourgeoisie", sometimes prior to Swiss naturalization.
There is a "Swiss Federation of Bourgeoisies and Corporations" whose roles include the defence of "maintenance of bourgeois institutions".
[3] The former king of Sweden Gustav IV Adolf was a bourgeois of the commune of Basel.