|
|
| (A.
PARLATO, Le armi al tempo dei Borbone, in: AA.-VV.,
Le armi al tempo dei Borbone, by S. Abita, ESI, Naples
1998, p. 14. The latter is the volume we mainly used for this
reconstruction.) |
| (See
R. PARISI, Salnitriere e polveriere, in: ibid., pp. 57
on. Many powder magazines were restored, among which those
of Castel dell'Ovo, Capodichino al Campo di Marte, Capua,
Caserta, etc.) |
| (See
G.E. RUBINO, L'artiglieria napoletana e le fabbriche d'armi
al tempo di Carlo Filangieri di Satriano, in: ivi, p.
20 e sgg. In this essay, the author describes the typology,
production and personnel of each factory.) |
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Weapons |
 |
Although
the production of weapons had always been flourishing
in the Kingdom of Naples since the time of the Normans,
it experienced a real revival only when Charles of
Bourbon ascended the Throne in 1734, after the period
of Hapsburg viceroy. This sector then showed a clear
“Spanish” predominance - the “taking
root of the domestic production, proud of national
and international competitiveness also in the sector
of quality»  .
Main
weapon factories
|
The list of the main factories
and corps started by Charles and his descendants
is sufficient evidence of the importance of
this art in the Bourbon kingdom.
In Naples and elsewhere, the heart of military
manufacture was the urban triangle formed by
the Palace of Capodimonte (where the Royal Steel
Factory was located), the Naval Dockyard and
the stronghold of Castelnuovo (with its Artillery
Arsenal and its workforce of 500 military and
civil workers, bronze Foundry and Weapon Assembly).
|
Naples - Plant of Castello Nuovo |
Other important places were the Factory of the Royal
Albergo dei Poveri, the Royal Factory of Barrels in
Poggioreale and the Royal Weapon factory in Torre Annunziata
(with a Royal Powder Magazine), the Powder Magazine
of Arenaccia, the Powder Magazine of Scafati
and the Mechanic Factory of Pietrarsa in Portici.
Naples - Iconography
of the Artillery Arsenal in Castel Nuovo |
In
the Kingdom, mention must be made to the Royal
Factory of Piastrinari in Lancusi, near Salerno,
The Factory of Sidearms in Sparanise, the Royal
Pyrotechnical Factory of Capua (others were
located in Gaeta and in Sicily), the Royal Iron
Foundries and Factories of Mongiana, an arsenal
in Palermo .
However, as everybody knows, the industrial
and seel production of the Kingdom of Naples
was amongst the first in the world. |
In fact « In the production sectors of the
Royal Factories in Pietrarsa, between Naples and San
Giorgio a Cremano, the number of workers exceeded 1,000
units whereas the workers of the Ansaldo di Sampierdarena
in Genoa were just about 500:
|
the production covered
all types of products and all steel products,
among which, in the armament sector, grenades,
bombs, guns and small mountain guns. Therefore,
in Castellammare di Stabia and in the Arsenal
of Naples in Molosiglio, wood and iron products
were manufactures, whereas gunboats, frigates
and war “steamers” were launched»
.
|
Enlargement Design
of the Weapon Factory in Torre Annunziata
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