Few names from Bucharest’s industrial landscape have managed to remain so alive in collective memory as APACA. Its history traces back to the second half of the 19th century, when tailoring workshops for the Romanian army were first established. 

Origins of a tradition in the textile industry

In an era when the uniform was not only a practical necessity but also a symbol of military prestige, the Romanian state decided to organize its own unit for producing such equipment.

The name APACA comes from the acronym for “Atelierele de Producție Armament și Confecțiuni ale Armatei” (Workshops for the Production of Armaments and Military Garments), an institution founded in 1881. Over the decades, the workshops underwent numerous transformations, but the turning point came after 1948, with the rise of the communist regime, which transformed a specialized factory into a symbol of the new socialist industry.

The political decision to build a modern factory

In the years immediately following the establishment of the communist regime, the party leadership felt the need to demonstrate both to the population and to the outside world Romania’s ability to quickly and efficiently build modern industrial units.

Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej, leader of the Romanian Workers’ Party, was one of the main supporters of this initiative. According to testimonies from officials of the time, he had been negatively impressed by the miserable conditions in which workers were making army uniforms and wanted to provide a spectacular alternative.

Thus arose the idea of building a new factory, capable of becoming a benchmark in Romania’s textile production. In a political context where displays of strength and mass mobilization were essential, the construction of APACA was conceived as a true national building site, meant to legitimize the new power.

The architects and engineers behind the construction

The plan was carried out by a large team of prestigious architects and engineers. Among the best-known architects involved were M. Alifanti, H. Stern, A. Damian, G. Pavlu, I. Șerban, I. Ghica-Budești, and V. Krohmalnic. They were joined by engineers Emil Prager, Emil Calmanovici, and Tiberiu Eremia, who provided not only technical expertise but also the equipment necessary for the works.

This multidisciplinary team managed to combine the accelerated pace imposed by the political leadership with compliance to technical standards, the result being a functional building adapted to the industrial needs of the time.

The huge effort to finish the works in 97 days

One of the most spectacular aspects of APACA’s construction was the speed with which it was accomplished. The factory was erected in just 97 days, an impressive performance even by today’s standards. This achievement was primarily due to the extraordinary mobilization of the workforce.

Approximately 1,150 volunteer brigadiers, mostly young people from communist organizations, and over 600 skilled workers labored side by side to complete the project on time.

The collective effort involved three daily shifts, with no major breaks, in an exhausting rhythm. In total, almost 1.4 million hours of work were put in. The necessary materials were transported in about one thousand railway wagons, illustrating the logistical scale of the operation. This mobilization was heavily promoted in the press and presented as clear proof of the “power of the working class.”

The first wing of the factory, called “Wing A,” was completed on April 28, 1948, just days before the May 1st celebrations. The timing was no accident: the regime wanted to mark the success of the new socialist system with a spectacular inauguration and to provide an example of national mobilization. The event was attended by Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej himself, who turned the moment into a propagandistic act, linking the factory’s construction with the party’s achievements.

Moreover, APACA was the first national youth worksite, a label that gave the project additional significance. The communist leadership wanted to show that the younger generation, guided by socialist ideals, was capable of building from scratch a new model of society.

The architecture and facilities of the factory

APACA’s main building measured 180 meters in length and 18 meters in height, consisting of a ground floor and four upper floors. The project provided for the installation of more than one thousand sewing machines, along with numerous auxiliary machines necessary for processing materials. The initial employment capacity exceeded 1,600 people, but the factory was designed to allow future expansions.

In addition, the complex included a modern canteen, a festive hall, and spaces dedicated to worker training and organization. These facilities reflected the communist regime’s vision of the factory: not just a space of production, but also a place of ideological formation and collective socialization.

The development and expansion of the famous factory

The initial success of the construction was followed by the constant expansion of the industrial platform. A second wing and several auxiliary buildings were later added, designed for design work, fittings, and exhibitions. These additional spaces were meant to meet both domestic market needs and external demands.

At its peak, APACA had nearly 18,000 employees, most of them women. The factory produced military uniforms, work equipment, and a wide range of clothing items, many destined for export.

A significant part of the production was shipped to member states of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (COMECON), but APACA also managed to reach Western markets, where Romanian products were appreciated for their competitive prices and decent quality.

APACA – the regime’s propaganda symbol

Beyond its economic role, the factory also had a symbolic one. It was transformed into a model socialist enterprise, constantly used in official speeches as an example of the regime’s success.

Photographs of brigadiers working on the construction site, reports about workers’ performance, or production figures were circulated in the party-controlled press to reinforce the image of a state advancing rapidly toward modernity.

At the same time, the factory was a space of discipline and propaganda. Workers participated not only in the production process but also in cultural and political activities organized inside the plant. In this way, APACA became a link in the chain through which the regime consolidated its authority over the population.

The decline after 1989

The December 1989 Revolution brought major changes to the entire Romanian industry, and the textile sector was among the most affected.

With the transition to a market economy, many state-owned enterprises faced difficulties, and APACA was no exception. The factory entered a privatization process in 1992, and gradually, production units were sold or turned into other types of businesses.

If before 1990 APACA employed nearly 18,000 people, in just a few years their number dropped dramatically. The platform began to be rented or sold to smaller companies from various fields, from private tailoring workshops to commercial services.

APACA, today

Even after its decline as a factory, the area remained known as APACA. In 2011, the platform hosted almost 200 companies and over 20 authorized individuals, providing jobs for around 6,000 employees. Although its economic profile had changed, the site’s historical weight was preserved.

Today, for Bucharest residents, APACA evokes both the glory days of the Romanian textile industry and the sacrifices of workers mobilized in the name of an ideology. The factory remains a symbol of an era when forced industrialization radically changed the face of the city and the destiny of thousands of people.

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