Preliminary studies and elaboration of the project, wanted by Field Marshal Josef Radetzky, took place in 1854 with the choice of the executive design by Major (later Lieutenant Colonel) Conrad Petrasch, director of the Genie-Direktion in Verona.

Because of this position, it was perfectly poised to become the main stronghold of the Lombardy-Venetia Kingdom; it thus became the pivotal point of the so-called “Quadrilateral,” which was set up around 1850: the Scaliger city, well protected by the nearby fortresses of Peschiera, Legnago, and Mantua, assumed the role of “military depot” since it was directly connected to Austria via the road to the Brenner Pass.

Within the magisterial walls, which the Austrians rebuilt the parts demolished by the Napoleonic militia in modern style, several military complexes thus found their place, of fundamental importance especially in the event of war, when Verona would be transformed into a support point for the war operations of an army containing around 100,000 soldiers: in addition to the arsenal, imposing buildings such as the army military hospital, the provide of Santa Marta and the large barracks of Castel San Pietro and Campone were built.

However, Austrian Field Marshal Josef Radetzky, assisted by Franz von Scholl, initiated this process of transforming the city into the main maneuvering square and depot for the army of the Lombard-Venetian Kingdom.

This was built between 1854 and 1861 in the so-called “Campagnola,” a vast flat area enclosed in the meander of the Adige River, outside the historic city and opposite the ancient fortress of Castelvecchio.

It was then intended to house the Artillery Directorate (whose technical services had been present in the town since 1849) and to provide logistical support for the numerous military strongholds of the Lombardy-Venetia Kingdom.

[3] The choice of the area on which to build this important complex fell on the Campagnola because this was difficult to access in the event of an insurrection of the city, but also because it was strategically located concerning road and rail communication routes with Austria (in fact, it was directly connected with the road to Austria and not far from the Parona railroad yard, located along the Brenner railway) and because it was well defended both by the Adige River and by several military fortifications (in particular the hill forts, the bastion of Spain and the fortifications of Porta San Giorgio).

[1] The complex was severely damaged by Allied aerial bombardment in World War II: the Command pavilion was hit in the central body and eastern wing, so the original structures were later replaced by horizontal and vertical structures of reinforced concrete and brickwork; the southern building in the central court was damaged in the upper part, which was rebuilt partially transformed; in the eastern court, the two-story warehouse, hit by the same aerial bombardment, was three-quarters destroyed in the plan and left in the state of ruins for years.

[1] The consequence was that in the postwar period the arsenal, heavily damaged and located across from a demolished bridge, lost so much value that it ended up among the disposable assets of the state property, while the city master plan called for its complete demolition to make way for a public park and about 1.4 hectares of building lots.

Still, since its abandonment by the military, it has fallen into a state of underutilization and disrepair: only the Headquarters pavilion has hosted periodic exhibitions, while a building in the western courtyard was assigned for many years to the Traffic Police.

[1] Following the acquisition of the area, however, the municipality announced a competition for the redevelopment of the arsenal, which was won in 1999 by the firm of David Chipperfield, whose master plan was approved in 2006: the British architect's project included the recovery of the historic structures and the construction of new volumes, as well as the arrangement of the space outside the actual establishment.

[1] In the architecture of the complex, Romantic culture could originally be observed in the figurative relationship with the surrounding landscape: in fact, the arsenal established a harmonious balance with the dominant natural elements, such as the bend of the Adige River, the countryside cultivated with vegetable gardens and orchards, and the hills behind, but also with the monuments of the Veronese Middle Ages, the Basilica of San Zeno to the west, Castelvecchio with the Scaliger bridge to the south, and the turreted hillside city wall to the east.

The application of the Rundbogenstil not only concerns the decorative component of the buildings, and in particular of the Command pavilion but involves the structural design, mostly of square or quadrangular base modules characterized by the vault and pillar system, which is particularly suited to the functional requirements of the depots and laboratories.

The elevations of the two lateral bodies, on the other hand, are characterized by the succession of the six pilasters delimiting five bays, in the center of which, on two orders, open mullioned windows, marked by arched stone cornices, overhanging.

[1] The two-story buildings, arranged along the sides of the courts facing the enclosure wall, are built with the same structural layout as the smaller warehouses: piers, arches, and rib vaults.

[1] The enclosing wall, also built of tuff and brick-lined masonry, was originally rectangular in layout and equipped with four guard towers with a circular plan, projecting at the apexes.