Originally, it was an arms factory, which manufactured explosives, and its location was deliberate - next to the village of Zagożdżon, among the forests and swamps of the Kozienice Wilderness, away from main population centers, and along the strategic rail line Radom-Dęblin.

After World War II, the Chemical Plant Pronit began manufacturing glue, plastic, as well as gramophone records.

In the interbellum period, Pionki prospered due to government contracts, as demand for explosives of its chemical plant was high.

During the joint German-Soviet invasion of Poland, which started World War II, in 1939, Pionki was bombed by the Luftwaffe and afterwards the Germans occupied the town.

In late 1941, a ghetto was established and Jews from surrounding towns brought there, resulting in a population of around 700 and such severe overcrowding that some people lived in the street.