Vilnius University is one of the oldest universities in the world. It has 15 academic units, 11 of them faculties, and about 25,000 students (2025). The old Vilnius University buildings house the university administration and three faculties: History, Philology and Philosophy. The library, founded in 1570, is also here. It holds millions of printed works and old manuscripts, among them the original of one of the two known copies in the world of the first Lithuanian book – Martynas Mažvydas's "Catechism". Vilnius University, one of the oldest universities in Eastern Europe, was founded at a time when the Reformation movement had spread in Lithuania, and Jesuit monks were invited to combat it. The Jesuits quickly took education into their own hands. In 1569 they founded a college, and in 1579 Vilnius University. The Vilnius University complex took shape over several centuries, so it is made up of Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Classicist buildings. The architecture of the medieval buildings contrasts with the cheerful student atmosphere. Thirteen inner courtyards, arcades and galleries add colour. The courtyards are named after famous alumni and professors of the university, and memorial plaques in their honour have been put up in the Great Courtyard.