Military Pyrotechnic Plant - Capua

The Military Pyrotechnic Plant of Capua has its origins in the “Elaboratorio de’ fuochisti” at Capo di Posillipo. This workshop was established and opened in the 1840s to more effectively meet the production needs of “various war fireworks,” required by the artillery of the Army and Navy of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. The choice of the most extreme location in the then urban agglomeration of the Bourbon capital was determined by the need to opt for a site that could not cause harm to the Neapolitan population, given that the laboratory was affected by pyrotechnic and sulphurous fumes. Within a few years, the original factory became a center of industrial excellence, supporting the Bourbon Kingdom’s war preparations by meeting a significant portion of its demand for war ammunition. Thus, the transformation of the original laboratory gave rise to the Royal Military Pyrotechnic Factory of Posillipo, which concentrated a significant portion of the state’s military pyrotechnics, thanks to the training of a group of highly skilled bomb disposal experts. Due to the need to create a climate conducive to the daily work of the workforce, military production was also expanded to include the manufacture of what were then called “fireworks of joy,” better known today as fireworks. This industrial approach was acknowledged and recognized by the royal court itself, which thus also benefited from a production facility suitable for social celebrations and civilian entertainment. At the same time, ongoing modernization of the facilities was undertaken, with the addition of a hydraulic press capable of handling the loading of war rockets on-site. Urban development and the Kingdom’s new military needs, however, led to a new relocation inland. Thus, in 1856, the activities of the previous factory were transferred to a new facility in Capua, already an important Bourbon military base. The site chosen was the ancient Castle of San Pietro, built by order of Emperor Charles V of Habsburg in 1542 from the ashes of a Lombard castle, near the Roman-era Casilino Bridge over the Volturno River. Ammunition production thus expanded further until its definitive transfer to the newly formed Kingdom of Italy in 1861. Industrial activities continued to grow, making the Capua Fireworks a true national and international leader in the production of various types of rifle and pistol cartridges, fireworks, and machine gun cases. New demands and the desire to expand production led to the construction of new subsidiary facilities, gradually moving production outside the main building of the Castle, which was no longer sufficient for the plant’s growing industrial activity. When production of the famous Model 1891 rifle began in 1894, the Capua Fireworks took over the gunpowder production line. The quantitative growth of the facilities, including in terms of workforce, which numbered around a thousand in 1910, thus led to a transformation of the very social fabric of Capua, also in relation to the changing wartime needs of the liberal state. A new production boost was achieved in the 1930s, coinciding with the updated needs of the Kingdom of Italy’s military ambitions. During the Second World War, the manufacturing activity at the Pyrotechnic Factory continued to grow: thanks to further studies and experience, operations were expanded to the adjacent “former new Cartridge Factory,” which was later bombed during the conflict. The post-war period brought further infrastructural changes. Following a long period of abandonment, the first architectural restoration projects began in 1986, leading to a complete restoration in 1999, which brought the historic spaces back to life. At the same time, in its new location, the facility expanded to cover an area of ​​164,500 m2 with a perimeter of 1,690 m. Effective January 1, 2017, with the Ministerial Decree of Defense dated December 29, 2016, the Military Pyrotechnic Factory became directly subordinate to the Defense Industries Agency. The plant’s core activities today are the production of ammunition for small-caliber portable weapons for the Armed Forces and State Armed Forces, also in collaboration with the national industry.