Châtellerault : Arms Manufacture, currently automotive museum

The Châtellerault arms manufacturer was founded by a royal decree on July 14, 1819, along the banks of the Vienne, in order to produce white weapons. This place was chosen for its accessibility in the heart of the center-west and for a metallurgical tradition, especially in cutlery, which made it possible to attract a qualified workforce. Until its closure in 1968, the site continued to have evolved with the addition and the transformation of buildings as a function of production changes: first of all white weapons, then firearms from the 1830s, artillery equipment around 1900, and finally missiles in the 1950s. Between 1819 and 1886, an ordered and symmetrical plan ruled the arrangement of the buildings constructed in tuffeau and plaster. The administrative building, starting at the start for production, was built under the supervision of Messrs Ledard and Guillebon, while the other workshops were designed by military engineers in charge of the buildings service. After 1886, new manufacturing processes and the use of materials such as melting, glass and brick gave rise to large sheds, hangars of the hall type and buildings welcoming power systems (first boilers, then steam generators), as well as large fireplaces, thus modifying the initial plan in depth. From 1914, new concrete and glass modules appeared. Since the establishment's closure, the premises have hosted the Archives of Armament Center as well as various municipal services and national education.