Academia Petrina was founded in 1775 by Duke Peter von Biron and is often treated as the beginning of higher education in Latvia. The building now houses the Gederts Eliass Jelgava History and Art Museum.
It is a good counterweight to the palace: less grand, but closer to the civic and intellectual life of old Mitau. The exhibits are most rewarding if you already have a little curiosity about Courland and Zemgale.