Officine Reggiane Historical Archive

The Historical Archive of Officine Reggiane contains company documents dating from 1904 to 1994, testifying almost 100 years of industrial activity in various productive sectors (railway, agricultural, aeronautical, food machinery). At the height of its development, the factory was the fourth largest in Italy, employing up to 11,000 employees and stretching over an area as large as the center of Reggio Emilia.

After the whole plant documentation (an estimated total of over 2,500 linear meters) was donated to the municipality of Reggio Emilia by the last owner of the factory, extensive efforts have been undertaken since 2015 to restore and enhance these priceless archives of historical material which comprise objects, technical drawings, photographs, audiovisuals, personnel files.

Since then, the guided tours organized by the Reggiane (which also cover the plant area itself, now undergoing an extensive process of recovery), together with its temporary exhibitions and many educational activities have been familiarising the local population and interested visitors with some of the most significant moments of the economic, social and civil history of the region. The activities carried out by the Reggiane greatly outline the significant industrial and technological advances and the general evolution of work which characterized that era.

The Archive is planning a new phase of development and expansion which will include, among other things, the setting up of a brand new exhibition space at the Shed 15 of the former plant area (now called Innovation Park) which will host temporary and permanent exhibitions. This recovery project reflects and reaffirms the great innovative value the Officine Reggiane brought about in their history.