On the banks of the Grand Canal stands the Fondaco dei Turchia strange oriental-looking edifice.
Surrounded by low towers linked by a two-storey colonnade running the length of the façade.
This is the Venice Museum of Natural History.
In the past, it served as the home of Venice's Turkish community and as a department store for oriental products.
Fondaco dei Turchi: article summary
Fondaco dei Turchi: what does fondaco mean?
The Venetian word fondaco is not easy to translate. It means a building where goods are stored and soldbut it also refers to the place where the merchant lived.
The establishment housed not only foreign merchants, but also the goods they stored and sold in Venice. Although it's a Venetian word, the word and concept have spread in other parts of Italy from Venice.
A building reserved for the Eastern elite
Since its foundation, Venice has always looked east rather than west. For historical and commercial reasons, it aligned itself with the Eastern Roman Empire ruled by the Byzantine Emperor in Constantinople rather than the Western Roman Empire ultimately inherited by the Pope in Rome. In the 17th century, this refusal of domination by the Pope led to to place Venice under papal interdict and excommunicate its government.
When Constantinople was captured by the expanding Ottoman Empire in 1453, it was to Venice that many fled, establishing the community that still exists to this day around the church of San Giorgio dei Greci.
Venice's first reaction was to try to liberate the city, leading to a period of war against the Turks. Eventually, this turned into an uneasy peace in which Venice traded with the new rulers.
Fondaco dei Turchi: Turks in Venice
And so it was that a community of Turkish merchants found themselves in Venice. As the community grew, there was a general feeling among the Venetian government that they should all in one place.
German merchants found themselves confined to the Fontego dei Tedeschi for some time. In 1516, it was the turn of Jewish merchants to live in the ghetto. The first proposal, made in 1574, resulted from the donation of various buildings. But it wasn't until 1621 that a building was allocated for this purpose by Doge Antonio Priuli, who had purchased it a few years earlier.
A long cohabitation
The building was built for the patrician Pesaro family. In 1381, it was donated by the Venetian state to the Duke of Ferrara, Niccolo II d'Este, in gratitude for his help in the war against Genoa. At that time, the palace had two towers in the Venetian-Byzantine style.
But over the following centuries, it passed through the hands of many different owners, including two popes, Julius II and Leo X. However, it was not modernized, but remained in an old-fashioned style. Shortly after its cession to the Turks, the government ordered the demolition of the two towers as part of the renovation work carried out for its new purpose. These renovations included the installation of a hammam and the creation of a mosque.
Fondaco dei Turchi: the restoration period
In 1860, the building reverted to the Venice City Council, who restored it to its former glory and rebuilt the two towers demolished in 1627. After restoration, it became home to the Correr Museum (now located on the Piazza San Marco) and then, from 1923 onwards, the Natural History Museum.
The Natural History Museum
The museum contains the usual elements of a natural history museum, from dinosaurs to local flora and fauna, as well as geological information on the lagoon. You'll also find the mummified remains of a catwho was the beloved pet of Doge Francesco Morosini.
The Doge led the Venetian fleet during the siege of Candia, one of the last great Venetian conflicts with the Turks. This cat accompanied him everywhere, even into battle and the Doge was inconsolable at his death.
The Fondaco dei Turchi is a must-see if you're ever in Venice. During your stay, you can appreciate the long history of this building and visit the collections it houses.
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