Fondaco dei Turchi
The Fondaco dei Turchi (Venetian: Fontego dei Turchi, Turkish: Türk Hanı) is a Veneto-Byzantine style palazzo, later on named as the Turks' Inn, on the Grand Canal of Venice, northeast Italy.
Early history
The palace was constructed in the first half of the 13th century by Giacomo Palmier, an exile from Pesaro. The Venetian Republic purchased it in 1381 for Niccolò II d'Este, the Marquess of Ferrara. During its early history, the palazzo also served as a residence to many visiting dignitaries.
Turkish ghetto
From the early 17th century through to 1838, the fondaco served as a one-building-ghetto for Venice's Ottoman Turkish population (thus "dei Turchi"). The fondaco (from Arab: fonduk [1]) then served as a combination home, warehouse, and market for the Turkish traders, as the Fondaco dei Tedeschi served as headquarters and restricted living quarters for German foreigners.
A number of restrictions were placed on the fondaco and its residents, including certain times one was able to enter and leave the ghetto, as well as on trading. Among other things, Venetian Turks imported wax, crude oil, and wool to the city.
After the Venetian Republic was conquered and abolished by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1797, the Turkish traders continued to live in the palazzo until 1838.
The building was in a very bad state by the mid-19th century, and was completely restored between 1860 and 1880. Some innovations have been added to the original Veneto-Byzantine design: for example, there were originally no towers on either side.
Today
From 1890 to 1923, the area was home the Museo Correr collection, which was moved to the Procuratie Nuove and Ala Napoleonica museums, at the Piazza San Marco, after 1923. Today, the area houses the Museo di Storia Naturale di Venezia (Natural History Museum of Venice), with historical collections of flora and fauna, fossils, and an aquarium.