Fondaco dei Tedeschi
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The Fondaco dei Tedeschi (Venetian: Fontego dei Tedeschi) was the headquarters and restricted living quarters of the German merchant population in Venice, situated on the Grand Canal.
[edit] History
First constructed in 1228, the building was rebuilt between 1505 and 1508, after its distruction in a fire. Its outer facade was painted by Titian (though his work is no longer visible). Its architecture is typical of the fifteenth century, Renaissance style.
Like the Fondaco dei Turchi, the Fondaco dei Tedeschi was a palazzo, warehouse, and restricted living quarters for its population, in this case mainly Germanic merchants from cities such as Nürnberg and Augsburg. The German merchants arrived shortly after the palazzo's construction.
Today, the building is the Venice headquarters of the Poste Italiane.
