FONDACO DEI TEDESCHI

Description

Essentials about the Fondaco dei Tedeschi in brief

Located right next to the Rialto Bridge on the Grand Canal, the Fondaco dei Tedeschi (Warehouse of the Germans) was once the important trade office of German merchants in Venice, from which goods were imported from the Mediterranean and the Orient to Central and Northern Europe. Goods are still handled in the Fondaco – but nowadays it is luxury items such as clothing and shoes. Since 2008, the former Fondaco dei Tedeschi has been home to a luxury department store. Even if you’ve maxed out your shopping budget, you should still make your way to the Fondaco. The great café in the atrium and the view of Venice from the roof terrace of the department store make a visit worthwhile even without luxury shopping.

The history of the Fondaco dei Tedeschi

In the area of the municipality of San Bartolomeo in Venice, German merchants settled already from the 12th and 13th centuries. The first documented mention of a building of the German merchants dates back to 1228, but the name “Fondaco dei Tedeschi” was first used in 1268. After a fire in 1505, the Fondaco dei Tedeschi was rebuilt according to a design by Frà Giovanni Giocondo and its façade was painted with magnificent frescoes by Giorgione and Titian, which unfortunately can no longer be seen today.

The Fondaco dei Tedeschi was a trade office reserved exclusively for merchants from German countries. In Venice, the term “Germans” was also understood to include merchants from neighboring countries, such as Flanders, Austria and Hungary. The Venetians adopted the concept of the fondaco from the Orient, where they themselves were forced to trade in their own fondachi. The term “fondaco” is a derivative of the Arabic word “funduk”, which means warehouse of goods.

The actual purpose of a fondaco was to concentrate foreign merchants in one place, in order to better supervise them there, on the one hand, and to be able to collect customs duties more easily, on the other. In the Fondaco dei Tedeschi, the foreign merchants from Central and Northern Europe had to set up their own warehouses. After their arrival in Venice, the barkmen were strictly forbidden to take the German merchants to any other place. It was also forbidden for the inhabitants of Venice to take in merchants from abroad.

Venice was of great importance for the German merchants, especially for the import of spices from the Orient. Ginger, nutmeg, cloves, pepper, saffron, cinnamon and sugar found their way to the German lands via Venice. The Nuremberg stock exchange served as a link in trade between Italy and the central and northern European economic centers. Foodstuffs from the Mediterranean region, such as figs, almonds, olive oil, oranges, lemons and, of course, wine were also purchased by German merchants in Venice, transhipped and exported to Germany. The export goods also included products of the textile industry, among others cotton and damask cloth, brocade, gold thread, velvet and silk fabrics. Last but not least, luxury goods such as precious stones, glass products from Murano, corals and pearls were also brought north via Venice.

The Fondaco dei Tedeschi today

After the end of the Venetian Republic, the Fondaco dei Tedeschi building was used as Venice’s main post office. In 2008 it was sold to the Benetton Group and, under the direction of star architect Rem Koolhaas, was converted into a shopping and exhibition center. Little remains of the old walls, as a reinforced concrete skeleton was installed in place of the load-bearing walls. The only parts of the original Renaissance building are now the exterior and courtyard facades.

Where once precious metals, spices, foodstuffs and cloth were handled, luxurious goods from LVMH, the world’s largest luxury goods group, now cross the counter. In the new Fondaco dei Tedeschi, the who’s who of luxury brands is represented, from Bulgari to Fendi to Max Mara.

Those who already exhausted their travel budget in the expensive city of Venice should still visit the Fondaco dei Tedeschi for two reasons. First, the spectacular atrium, which has a glass roof, houses a café-restaurant by French star designer Philippe Starck. And secondly, the building’s roof terrace, which is open to the public, offers a spectacular view of all of Venice.