The exact date of the foundation of Fondaco is unknown. The earliest record dates to 1225, where a building called Fondaco (a term derived from the Arabic word fundùq) found near the Grand Canal, next to the Rialto Bridge, was used by German merchants for trade and lodge.

On the night between January 27 and 28, the first Fondaco dei Tedeschi was hit by a serious fire and burned down completely. The Serenissima ordered that the building be rebuilt as quickly as possible.

In just three years, the Fondaco was completely rebuilt in its present form and decorated by Giorgione and Tiziano. On August 1, merchants returned and restarted their activities, which consisted of exchanging raw materials such as metals, in exchange for precious goods such as silks and spices.

The fall of the Republic of Venice and the arrival of Napoleon forced the German merchants to definitively abandon the Fondaco, which entered a serious phase of decline.

The building was purchased by the Post and Telegraph Administration: the Fondaco became the headquarters of the Central Post Office in Venice.

Major restorations of the Fondaco ordered by the post office which lasted several years were finished. The interventions on the building were very invasive due to the considerable use of reinforced concrete.

The Fondaco is sold to Edizione Property.

Beginning of the renovation of the Fondaco by the Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas and the OMA studio. The restoration works, carried out by Edizione Property, last until 2016.

On October 1, the Fondaco dei Tedeschi opens up to the public as the first DFS store in Europe.