Fondaco dei Turchi
Fondaco dei Turchi (or as it reads in Venetian,
Fondega) is a palace in
Venice located on the Grand Canal. This Byzantine palace is among the most beautiful buildings in the city. During its long history of about seven centuries, it has served as the home for many famous aristocrats, artists and other VIPs of the time. In modern times, it hosted the Correr Civic Museum until 1923, but after it moved to the
Piazza San Marco, the palace became home to the Venetian Museum of Natural History.
The history of the palace started in the end of the 13th Century. It was built by an exile from Pesaro. The palace was acquired by the state of Venice in 1381, when it was purchased to become the home of the Marques of Ferrara. The name of the palace,
dei Turshi, derives from a later period of its history. In the 17th and 18th Centuries, it used to serve as home for the Turkish population in Venice. Later on, it was further used by the Turkish population as a market, a warehouse, etc. Today, besides hosting the Venetian Museum of Natural History, the palace can be perceived as a museum of architecture and history in itself.
Name: Fondaco dei Turchi
Address: Santa Croce 1730
Phone: +39 041 2750206
see map
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