The plan to build the Central Industrial District (Polish: COP – Centralny Okręg Przemysłowy), created on the initiative of deputy prime minister Eugeniusz Kwiatkowski and adopted by the Sejm in February 1937, started the process of creation of own defence potential of the Republic of Poland at that time. In less than 800 days – as this it the time that passed since the first pine tree was felled for construction of the plants until their official opening by President Ignacy Mościcki – at the fork of the San and Vistula rivers, where the seat of the Southern Works was located, the Stalowa Wola Industrial District was created. Together with it, in the area of Sandomierz Wilderness an employees’ housing estate, named Stalowa Wola, was created. These were the origins of today’s Huta Stalowa Wola and the town of Stalowa Wola.
Already in 1938, the facilities in Stalowa Wola started the assembly and testing of a field howitzer calibre 100 mm. This event marks the beginning of the history of today’s HSW.
In 1939, annual target production capacity of the Southern Works was defined as 480 field cannons calibre 75 and 100 mm, 48 cannons calibre 105 mm, 72 cannons calibre 155 mm, 16 barrels for cannons calibre 75 mm, 32 barrels for cannons calibre 100 mm, 12 barrels for cannons calibre 155 mm and an unspecified number of barrels for 37 and 40 mm cannons (information from: J. Reszczyński – “Dzieło ludzi o STALOWEJ WOLI”).
In the period from the opening ceremony on 14th June 1939 until outbreak of the war, it was not possible to open all assumed production programmes. Irrespective of the course of history, from the very onset of its existence HSW was among strategic building blocks of Polish industry, thus remaining in direct contact with economic and defence policy of the state.
