On August 24, we celebrate the 150th anniversary of Juozas Rimša’s birth!
Juozas Rimša (born August 24, 1875) was a Lithuanian book smuggler, bookbinder, public figure, and brother of Petras Rimša. He studied bookbinding from 1889 and later opened a bookbinding workshop in Pilviškiai. In 1892, together with Motiejus Baltūsis, he subscribed to the periodicals Varpas and Ūkininkas, and sought out subscribers himself. Around 1897, after meeting Kazys Grinius, Juozas Bagdonas, and Vincas Palukaičius, he became even more active as a book smuggler: he distributed banned Lithuanian publications in the Gižai and Pilviškiai areas and sent them to the Sejny Seminary and Vilnius. Juozas Rimša was an active member of the Sietynas Society and also belonged to the Šviesa Society. In 1915, he was arrested by the Germans for his political activities and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp, where he established a small library of Lithuanian books.
Information prepared by Neringa Rudgalvytė, curator of the Lithuanian Education Museum collection
