The Botanical Garden was founded on the southern slopes of Marjan in 1951. Numerous tropical and subtropical plants were planted there, and the northern part of the garden housed autochthonous Mediterranean flora. The Botanical Garden was not only an educational institution, it was also a promotor for growing and caring for plants. In the early 1960s, it maintained successful cooperation with numerous botanical institutions all over the world. The Garden was prospering until the 1980s, when, unfortunately, it started to decline. The Department of Biology of the Faculty of Science has taken action toward its revitalisation.