<P> The Venetian Arsenal ( Italian : Arsenale di Venezia ) is a complex of former shipyards and armories clustered together in the city of Venice in northern Italy . Owned by the state , the Arsenal was responsible for the bulk of the Venetian republic 's naval power during the middle part of the second millennium AD . It was `` one of the earliest large - scale industrial enterprises in history '' . </P>
what was the purpose of the arsenal in venice
responsible for the bulk of the Venetian republic 's naval power during the middle part of the second millennium AD