Venice - Turkish Commodity Exchange and Natural History Museum

(Local Name: Fondaco dei Turchi e Museo di Storia Natural) The building, originally a palace, dates from the ninth century and is one of the oldest in Venice. It has existed in its present form since the mid 13th century. In the 14th and 15th centuries it was the residence in Venice of the Dukes of Ferrara. Emperor Friedrich III stayed here as their guest in 1452 and 1469.

From 1608 to 1621 the Emperor's Ambassador, Georg Fugger, had his office in this palace.

In 1621 the Council of the Republic allocated the building to the Turkish merchants for use as living accommodation and as a warehouse (hence the appellation "Fondaco"). At the beginning of the 19th century the palace was totally in ruins, so the city took it over and after 1858 rebuilt it in its original 13th century style; since 1880 it has been used as a museum, and today is an outstanding example of the Byzantine-Venetian mixture of styles common in the 13th century. The building currently houses the Natural History Museum (Museo di Storia Naturale).

The museum gives a good idea of the animal life in the Adriatic, but its impressive array of exhibits also covers other marine areas. The associated lapidary and general zoological collections are well worth seeing.

The ground floor also contains a notable exhibition of Venetian well-heads.