Abstract
The end of the XX-th, the beginning of the XXI-st century are characterized by the social and economic transformations of that relate to the sphere of Russian education. Educational situation sets a higher level of professional competence both to the teacher and to the educational institutions innovative nature, which include a gymnasium. Interest in the pre-revolutionary experience of secondary education, its values, objectives, contents, features of the management development now continues unabated. In this paper I attempt to identify the main stages of formation and development of gimnazium education in Russia of the past centuries and modern times, and also pay attention to the teacher's personality, designed to realize liberal education.