Linificio Canapificio Nazionale

what:

textile mill

where:

Cassano d'Adda

when:

1840 - 1994

1903 - Overview

In 1840 Paolo Battaglia, a business man, started to build a small spinning mill in Cassano d'Adda, designed along the style of English mills: three parallel three-storey buildings connected by four two-storey ones. This first core started up in 1842, with machinery from England. In 1873 the mill was sold to a new company, Linificio Canapificio Nazionale (National Hemp and Linen Mill, LCN). The new owner extended the factory by adding rope production to it, one of the biggest in Europe. Later a new hemp spinning mill was built and in 1910 a boarding school for working women was opened. The most important date is 1924 when work began on a canal for the new hydroelectric power plant, completed in 1927. This canal was the property of the LCN, as the power plant was located by and used water from the Adda river. During the 50s a new rope factory was built, which produced tons of ropes every day, delivered all over the world. The factory was closed in 1994 by Gruppo Marzotto, a textile company which had owned LCN since 1984.
One of the outstanding features of this historic factory is the impressive water system. In the past, the machines worked on steam and water power and a labyrinth of underground tunnels brought water to each of them. In the middle of the area stands a tall concrete tower which is empty inside. This was used to store water from the canal, ready to being pumped along the tunnels. Today these tunnels may still be visited, at your own risk, because it's easy to get lost!