In 1625, the owner of the town, reformer Kristupas Radvila established a school in the current Town Hall building. In 1647, it became a gymnasium called Šviesioji (Gymnasium Illustre), and was established in the ornate Renaissance-style two-storey building in Didžiosios Pilies street. Its lecturers were famous European scholars (philosopher Adomas Rasijus and Doctor of Medicine and Philosophy, fortifications specialist Adomas Freitagas (1608–1650), while teaching programs were formed according to the most advanced methods. The gymnasium had a printing house which, in 1653, printed one of the most important reformats and largest publications in Lithuanian in the 17th century "Kniga nobažnistės krikščioniškos". Radvilas aimed to establish Higher Protestant School here, however this did not happen due to wars in the middle of the 17th century. After 1863 Uprising, the gymnasium building was given away to the Tsar army. During the Soviet times, the gymnasium was occupied by Soviet army soldiers. Šviesioji Gymnasium was established here in 2002. An adornment of the gymnasium is the internal yard under a glass dome surrounded by arches similar to those of Vilnius University.
Address
Didžioji str. 62 , Kėdainiai
