Switcher, Sandstone sculpture in Olomouc, Czech Republic.
The Switcher is a sandstone sculpture depicting a railway worker at his job. The figure captures the clothing and posture characteristic of someone who worked with railway switches.
The sculpture was created in 1950 by sculptors Rudolf Doležal and Josef Stárek. It emerged during a period when post-war Czechoslovakia was rebuilding its industrial infrastructure.
The sculpture honors railway workers and shows how their labor was valued in the community. You can see how public art gave recognition to a profession that was essential to the city.
The statue is located near central Olomouc and can be reached easily on foot. You can visit it while taking a walk through the city to see other monuments as well.
The figure wears details of a railway worker's clothing from that era that were carefully observed. This attention to realistic labor was typical of how artists viewed working life in the 1950s.
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