Discover Fondaco dei Tedeschi

The rebuilt 1508 structure follows the fondaco typology common to Venice's merchant trading houses: four floors arranged around a large central courtyard, originally designed for loading, storing, and displaying goods rather than for grand public rooms. Its scale -- one of the largest buildings directly on the Grand Canal -- reflects how central German trade once was to the city's economy.

The 2016 renovation by Rem Koolhaas's firm OMA kept the historic shell largely intact while rebuilding the courtyard with a dramatic multi-level walkway system inside, and adding rooftop access that had not existed in the building's earlier form.