By: Nenad Petrović

Nenad Petrović — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 09:05:00 +0000

The beginning of firearms manufacturing in Serbia can be traced back to the First Serbian Uprising of 1804, when the first noticeable formation of organized armed elements led by the insurgent leader Karađorđe Petrović
called for an increase to the production of muskets and light cannons
for the uprising. Munitions and field artillery such as the light “Hajduk” cannon were successfully produced in the lower Belgrade Fortress Arsenal as early as 1808.

Workshop of Zastava Arms in 1910.

By the end of 1832, the State Military Workshop was completed and
began assembling its guns from parts produced in workshops by local
gunsmiths and specialized craftsmen. Other facilities for the production
and repair of firearms were completed shortly after, with all the
elements later combined into the Military Equipment Factory in 1847. In
1849, the facility’s Cannon Foundry received its first 15KW steam engine
from the Belgian company of La Chausse. Under pressure from both Austria and the Ottoman Empire, the Serbian Ministry of the Interior suggested in March 1851 that Kragujevac
should become the main center for arms production. All of the active
elements of the Cannon Foundry were moved to Kragujevac by the end of
the month. The successful production of four four-pound cannons and two
short howitzers
on October 27, 1853 is by many considered to have marked the founding
of the Zastava Arms manufacturing company. Between 1856 an 1860, the
facilities in Kragujevac received many upgrades to its manufacturing
system, eventually allowing the plant to produce weapons with full parts
interchangeability.

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By: Nenad Petrović