Fondaco dei Tedeschi Historical Timeline

Origins

A trading house for German and other Central European merchants stood on this site by the 13th century, serving as both a warehouse for their goods and a supervised residence -- the Republic required foreign merchant communities to live and trade from designated buildings under close official oversight.

Turning points

Fire destroyed the building in 1505, and it was rebuilt within just three years, reopening in 1508 as a four-story structure wrapped around a large central courtyard. The Republic commissioned two of the era's greatest painters, Giorgione and Titian, to fresco all four exterior facades -- a rare instance of the city's finest artists decorating a working commercial building rather than a church or palace.

Influential people

Little of Giorgione and Titian's fresco work has survived the Venetian climate; salt air and humidity stripped most of it from the exterior within a couple of centuries. The fragments that remain are preserved today at the Ca' d'Oro and the Gallerie dell'Accademia, rather than on the building itself.

Cultural evolution

After the Republic's fall, the building passed through various official uses, most notably around 70 years as the headquarters of Italy's national post office during the 20th century -- a long, unglamorous chapter for a building that had once hosted some of Venice's finest painting.

Present-day significance

The Benetton Group bought the building in 2008 and commissioned the architect Rem Koolhaas's firm, OMA, to convert it into a department store, which opened in 2016 with a free rooftop terrace that quickly became one of the best public viewpoints in Venice. The store and terrace closed in 2025, and there is no confirmed date or plan for either to reopen.