Bumar
Fabryka Broni

Creation of the Radom Plant

The plans to establish from the scratch the Państwowa Wytwórnia Broni (PWB, State Arms Plant) in Radom were duly promulgated by the Central Military Plants Authority in 1922. Msc. Eng. Andrzej Dowkontt was appointed Director, with Lt.Col. Jan Siczek as his deputy. o­n March 8, 1923, the Radom local government head had temporarily allowed to store building material at the Mariackie grange. Shortly afterward, a year after the decision was made, construction work commenced in earnest. The construction was advancing at the breath-taking rate – the vast majority of planned buildings were completed within the first year. In 1923 there were already 25520 square meters put under the roof, while in 1924-25 o­nly 1230 sq. meters followed.

In 1925 most of the buildings: main building, steel hardening shop, the power plant, the boiler room, woodshop, bath, the Workers’ House Nr 1 and drying shop, were erected, and in various phases of fitting-out. Interestingly, it was not before December 31, 1927, when the plant was long ago erected, production launched, and hundreds of Radom inhabitants found work there, when the official taking over of the plant area from the local government was held. The act was signed by then Director of the plant, Msc.Eng. Kazimierz Ołdakowski. o­n May 1, 1926, main building, boiler room, polishing shop, woodwork shop, shooting range, water well, water tower, workers’ houses 1-3 and 6, as well as Foremen’s House, Official House, bath and warehouse were taken over as ready for work. The construction work finished in early spring 1927. The April 22, 1927 Council of Ministers’ decree changed the name of the plant to Fabryka Broni (FB, Arms Factory) and placed it at the disposal of the state-owned munitions concern, the Państwowe Wytwórnie Uzbrojenia (PWU, State Armament Works).