Slovenska matica (Slovene Society Building), Ljubljana

The Slovene Society was established in response to the call of several patriotic associations and individuals from Maribor who advocated for the creation of an institution to publish advanced scholarly literature in Slovene, promote cultural expansion among Slovenes, and develop scientific terminology in the Slovene language. In 1864, the consortium known as "Slovenska matica" was formed, receiving significant financial support from Emperor Francis Joseph I of Austria.

During the early 20th century, the Society flourished, functioning both as a prominent publishing house in the open market, releasing books that became bestsellers, and as an academy of sciences, promoting high culture and maintaining close ties with prestigious institutions such as the Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts in Zagreb, the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts in Belgrade, as well as similar organizations in Prague, Kraków, London, and Saint Petersburg.

During the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, the Society expanded its publishing endeavors and played a pivotal role in founding the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts in 1938; however, its activities were abruptly halted by the Nazi German authorities in 1944. Following the Second World War, the communist authorities permitted the Society to be re-established, albeit with reservations about its conservative editorial stance. While most of its assets were nationalized, the society continued its operations with substantial state subsidies.

In the 1980s, the society experienced a revitalization period, focusing on publishing translations of major Western philosophers and political theorists, including authors whose works were considered subversive to the official Socialist ideology. This included works by Heidegger, Machiavelli, Jan Patočka, Unamuno, José Ortega y Gasset, Aurelius Augustinus, and the complete works of Nietzsche.