Mladika (building)

The Mladika building is the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia (Ministrstvo za zunanje zadeve), located in the country's capital Ljubljana.

The building was built after the Ljubljana earthquake of 1895, as part of a wider plan of urban renovation carried out by the mayor Ivan Hribar. It was designed by the Slovene architect Max Fabiani in the Art Nouveau style, with a red bricked façade adorned with stucco floral motifs and owls, symbolizing wisdom. The main entrance is also surmounted by a clock turret.

The building's name comes from the private education institute Mladika ("Offspring"), which in 1896 established a secondary school for girls on the same location. The Mladika Institute was sponsored by the wealthy Slovene patriot from Ljubljana, Josip Gorup, who commissioned the present building to architect Max Fabiani in 1907. In 1912, a second building (known as Licej) was built by architect Ciril Metod Koch to host the boarding house. Both buildings, located next to the Tivoli Park, are now used as the seat of the Slovenian Foreign Ministry.

The Mladika building is located opposite to the Slovenian Government Palace.