The botanical garden UPJS, as the only institution of its kind in Košice, was founded in the year 1950. At present it is spread over an area of 30 hectares from which greenhouses of tropical and sub-tropical vegetation cover 3500m2. In over four hectares of the exposition decorative flora is found, perhaps half of it is devoted to the Ecological instructive grounds. Four ares take the role of land dedicated to the genofund collection of larger plants. The forrested part of the Botanical garden UPJS takes up 24 hectares. It contains complete parts and original vegetaion which naturally continues the forest vegetation of the eastern parts of the Slovak "iron highlands", particularly the Cermel valley and Bankov. A current activity of the Botanical garden UPJS is editing the scientific periodical THAISZIA - Journal of botany. Another evident activity is the herbist´s collection and the Thaisz library. The priorities of the botanical garden may be listed as educational, research-based, and cultural-societal. In educational activity, laboratory exercise is provided and, when needed, instruction at the Natural science faculty at the Pavel Jozef Safarik University in the scientific fields of geobotanics, ecology of plants, environmental protection and specialized on-site excursions. The professional employees provide the students of botany with the chance for consultation and putting together diploma work. In terms of scientific research, the Botanical garden UPJS is aimed toward the biological study of larger plants of the eastern slovak region, synantropization of vegetation, the invasion of plants, refining decorative cultivations and the pathological problems of wood in changing environmental conditions. Cultural-societal activity involves an introduction to the varieties of the plant kingdom and a heightening of awareness in the area of protecting the natural environment.