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August Robert Niemi was a prominent Finnish professor, founder of the Finnish-Lithuanian Society, and a folklorist who contributed significantly to the preservation of Lithuanian folk songs. Between 1909 and 1912, he collected about 3,600 folk songs in Northern Lithuania and Dzūkija, which he later published in collaboration with Adolfas Sabaliauskas-Žalia Rūta. His works also include the history of collecting and studying Lithuanian folk songs, as well as the exploration of connections between Finnish and Lithuanian songs.
In his memory, a monument has been erected featuring a decorated 70 cm tall chapel shrine placed on a stone base, inside which is an oak statue of a Rūpintojėlis (a traditional Lithuanian figure of a pensive Christ). This chapel shrine is an exact replica of Niemi's grave monument in Finland. The monument was created by folk artist Vidas Jatulevičius, with the realization of the idea supported by Viktoras Rinkevičius.
Monuments
Birzai