Cultural, educational, welfare, sport, and similar non-political societies pLayed an important role in Slovene national awareness in the last period of the Hapsburg Monarchy. The author presents, mainly on the basis of the regulations that have been preserved by the Archives of SR Slovenia in Ljubljana, such societies in Ribnica, at Dolenjsko. Presented are the following: the Ribnica Reading Society, Musical Society, the Ribnica Sokol, the Slovene Catholic Public Library, Shooting Society, the Society for the building and maintenance of the Sokol Home in Ribnica, as well as the Ribnica branches of the Society of St. Cyril and Methodius, the Slovene Guard, the Society for the protection of children and youth-care, and a few others. Added is the list quoting the societies of Ribnica in the time of Old Yugoslavia as well as the year of their foundation. The paper also partly presents the activity of the Ribnica inhabitants on the occasion of the annual meeting of the school national defensive Society of St. Cyril and Methodius in 1898.