Victims of Work
by VELA, Vincenzo, Bronze
Vela’s mature production is characterised by a repertoire of portraits and funerary monuments, and includes a naturalistic relief dedicated to the 199 workers killed during the construction of the Gotthard Rail Tunnel (1882–83). The monument containing the bronze bas-relief is at the entrance of the tunnel in front of the Airolo railway station. It was laid in 1932 by the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) management on the 50th anniversary of the great human victory that opened the way to the Gotthard.