History Main / MerchantCity

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A city populated mainly by merchants, or known for its trade opportunities. While the term "trade city" can be tautological because any settlement large enough to support any kind of labor specialization requires trade between two different parties to function, these cities are defined by the influence of its traders, merchants, and financiers in its daily life. Tends to be a port, especially a seaport in works set historically and even into the modern day as ships have been far and away the most cost-effective means of transporting cargo in large quantities. Other transportation links are also important, such as rail and roads. In science fiction, it may be in a spaceport.

Access to large amounts of financial capital is also usually needed in order to support the high-risk/high-reward ventures often undertaken by an IntrepidMerchant, so there will be banks and wealthy investors. If not ruled by a merchant guild, these trade organizations will play a key role in governing the city, ensuring that the city provides the infrastructure needed to support trade.

As a port city, it will be filled with warehouses (includingsome {{Abandoned Warehouse}}s), which provide locations for heroes and villains to plot intrigues and move and store secret cargoes.

{{Obstructive Bureaucrat}}s and CityGuards hover to check papers, enforce rules, and collect taxes, but often a wad of money makes them wave you through. It's a port city, so some may have a section on the WrongSideOfTheTracks that is a WretchedHive of rogues and pickpockets, so watch your back.

It usually has a BlackMarket or SecretShop where a VenturousSmuggler can get you "off the books" items (drugs, weapons, etc), gear that FellOffTheBackOfATruck and/or a BazaarOfTheBizarre. You can buy the best hard-to-find items there, or at least have the most variety to choose from. Often, a variety of entertainments are available for weary travellers, from booze and gambling to TheOldestProfession.

This is often, but not always the capital or HubCity. On many occasions it will be the hometown of a ProudMerchantRace, and will be the favorite hangout of the IntrepidMerchant. Some are even ruled by {{Merchant Prince}}s.

* ''Film/MadMaxBeyondThunderdome'': Bartertown. Trading is required to be able to enter, and holding on the deals is enforced by law.

* ''Literature/InvisibleCities'': The aptly named Trading Cities, although they play with the idea. One particular city trades stories, while another trades character roles.
* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': Ankh-Morpork is without compare. Invaders often found that within a few days they no longer own their weapons and are just absorbed into the general ethnic character of the city. These days, Ankh Morpork is basically immune to war, because it's the trade and economic capital of the world. Not for nothing is their national anthem "We Can Rule You Wholesale" -- "''Let others boast of martial dash / For we have boldly fought with cash / We own all your helmets, we own all your shoes / We own all your generals -- touch us and you'll lose''".
* ''Literature/TheSparrow'': Gayjur, and while it's due to his unfortunate life circumstances, Supaari is definitely a ProudMerchantRace Guy.

* ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'': The Iskoort world is a giant [[CityPlanet ecumeonopolis]] where one can purchase anything he or she wants (even recorded memories).
* ''Literature/RealmOfTheElderlings'': Bingtown, situated near the mouth of the Rain Wild River on the Cursed Shores. The Bingtown Traders consider themselves an exclusive caste, basically rule themselves via the Traders Council and are very proud of being the descendants of those who came to the Cursed Shores with nothing but themselves and not only managed to survive but also to make a fortune.
* ''Literature/GuardiansOfTheFlame'': Pandathaway, a port city which is a commercial hub and caters to visitors looking for goods. There is practically nothing that's not out for sale (this also makes it the center of the regional slave trade, much to the heroes' disgust). Merchants and guild heads run it officially, but the wizards are really in charge of the city.
* ''Literature/ChildrenOfEarthAndSky'': Trade is the life blood of both Seressa and Dubrava, where power and wealth revolve around commerce.
* ''Literature/TalesFromNetheredge'': Isle of Stars, whose main port is a landing point for most of the trade between the countries of Netheredge and the [[TheEmpire Calisto Empire]].
* ''Literature/TheToughGuideToFantasyland'': The CityOfCanals generally is one, ruled by a council of corrupt merchants.
* ''Literature/TheGrishaverse'': Ketterdam (based on Amsterdam), is a WretchedHive city that runs on the worship of the god of commerce and trade, as well as allowing anybody to trade anything. The city is even run by a merchant council.

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyV'': Mirage, a city in the Cleft of Dimension. When it reappears in the real world it's full of merchants and some of the best items in the game can be bought there.
* ''VideoGame/TrialsOfMana'': Beiser is a port city full of merchants, and has a Black Market that you can access by waiting for it to become night. Ironically though, it's the only town in the game where you can't buy regular supplies. This was actually fixed in the 2020 remake.
* ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'': Illium is a capitalist heaven: It is an independent planet outside the jurisdiction of any major government and while the planet is extremely rich, there are almost no rules on anything. During your stay, you are constantly bombarded with cheesy comercials and merchants making ridiculous claims to their customers.

%%* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'': The capital is usually like this, often named Castle Town.
* ''VideoGame/OctopathTraveler'' has the city of Grandport, the final stop on the budding merchant Tressa's quest line. It contains outdoor merchants carrying nearly every category of item for sale/theft, and is home to a multi-millionaire who promotes trade as a means of finding trinkets for his daughter.
* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' has [[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue Celadon City]], [[VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver Goldenrod City]], [[VideoGame/PokemonrubyAndSapphire Lilycove City]],[[VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl Veilstone City]], [[VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite Castelia City]], and [[VideoGame/PokemonXAndY Lumiose City]], with a big department store in each. [[VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon Alola]] has a few cities: Hau'oli City, Royal Avenue, Malie City, and Konikoni City, which is explicitly referred to as a 'city of merchants'.
* ''VideoGame/MedievalIITotalWar'': Constructable is the Merchants' Quarter, which turns over an entire section of the city to trade.
%%* ''VideoGame/DeusEx'': Hong Kong.

* ''VideoGame/QuestForGloryII'''s [[ShiftingSandLand Shapeir]] has Katta in every square, selling all sorts of items, that's not taking into account the smithy, apothecary and the joke shop.
* ''VideoGame/RuneScape'': Varrock city is this for players, as it's where the Grand Exchange, a big facility that lets people put their items for sale or buy from other players without direct contact, is located. Before the Grand Exchange was added, it was Varrock for free players and Falador for members, but only on certain merchant worlds. Ardougne, another big city with lots of stalls in the middle is this for [=NPCs=].
* ''VideoGame/TrailsSeries'': Crossbell is a sprawling metropolis similiar to real world New York City and Hong Kong, being the heart of commerce of the continent and one of the richest places in Zemuria. However, this also makes it a ''very'' hotly contested territory between the two major superpowers of the world: the Erebonian Empire and the Republic of Calvard.
* ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'':
** The goblin-controlled cities of Gadgetzan, Booty Bay, and Ratchet. As a ProudMerchantRace they are open to both factions and also provide access to the Neutral Auction House, the only method of cross-faction trading.
** [[TruceZone Shattrath and the Northrend version of Dalaran]] used to serve as this when they were the main cities of their respective expansions. Having portals to each of the original capital cities, auction houses, high-end armor vendors, and close proximity to end-game content meant a high player density and trade. These days the city of choice is the Broken Isles version of Dalaran.
* ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheSacredStones'': The Carcino region comes to mind; it's the only nation of the six in the game that doesn't house a MineralMacGuffin, in favour of being a mercantile state. That said, [[GameplayAndStorySegregation it doesn't have any particularly special items for the player party purchase ingame...]]
* ''VideoGame/RagnarokOnline'': Virtually every major city is packed with [[IntrepidMerchant Intrepid Merchants]], but a special mention goes to the PortTown of Alberta, where Merchants are trained from Novices.
%%* ''VideoGame/SecretOfEvermore'': Nobilia.

* ''VideoGame/BreathOfFireI'': Prima, which is also an UnderwaterCity.
* ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVII'': One of the final forms for the immigrant town is the Bazaar, which has shops selling some of the best equipment in the game (including the Metal King Shield, hands down the best shield in the game).
* ''VideoGame/TalesOfTheAbyss'' has Chesedonia. Located directly between Kimlasca and Malkuth (in spite of ongoing tension between the two nations), nearly all goods that cross the border pass through it, and since each country is heavily specialized (with Kimlasca producing weapons, armor and fontech, while Malkuth grows crops for food and medicines), consistent and well-managed trade is an absolute necessity. Notably, if you're somehow incredibly rich early on in the game (if you carried money over onto a NewGamePlus, for example), you can buy weapons there that are ludicrously powerful for your level.
* ''VideoGame/EuropaUniversalisIII'': Any and every province designated a "Centre of Trade", including several of the real-life examples below.
* ''VideoGame/CrusaderKingsII'': The ''Republic'' DLC introduces Merchant Republics ruled by families of {{Merchant Prince}}s, including many Real Life examples.
* ''VideoGame/CivilizationV'': Mercantile city-states are named after famous examples from history. Get on their good side and they'll send out shipments of luxury goods to increase major nations' [[MoraleMechanic Happiness]], including unique goods that can't be obtained any other way. The player can also choose to focus cities on trade by building Wonders such as the Great Lighthouse, Petra, and the East India Company, or turn their entire nation into a ProudMerchantRace by taking up the Commerce and Navigation policy trees.
* ''VideoGame/EVEOnline'': Jita has become such a massive trade hub that all missions and resources have been removed from the system and it's been moved to own server in order to handle the traffic. Of particular interest is the fact that Jita became the premier trading hub of New Eden not through developer edict, but through players following actual market forces of supply and demand.

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'': The nation of Ul'dah is practically run by merchants. While the nation does have a Sultana, she's just a [[PuppetKing figurehead]] since the true leaders are the Syndicate, which are a group of the nation's wealthiest merchants. The nation's motto is "For Coin and Country".
* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfDragoon'' has the Commercial City, Lohan, in the first disk. Not only is it Serdio's main hub for traders all across Endiness, it also sells plenty of the game's best accessories, alongside the Legend Casque, which gives ridiculous magic defense and evasion. Catch? These items will range in the thousands of Gold, whereas most battles barely give around 100 in the later areas of the game.

* ''Webcomic/{{Drowtales}}'': "Chel'el'Sussoloth was built around the Klar'bol, the market section is literally the heart of the city".

* UsefulNotes/{{Philadelphia}} was another major colonial-era center of transatlantic trade, also growing from import trade of sugar from the Caribbean and export of grain and lumber to Europe combined with a policy of religious tolerance which attracted religious-minority immigrants. By the eve of the Revolution, the city was the second-largest in the English-speaking world after London.
* UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity was another city with colonial merchant roots as it started as a Dutch trading post, but moved ahead of other Eastern Seaboard port cities and seized the title for the US with the opening of the Erie Canal in 1821, which connected the Hudson River to the Great Lakes through the Mohawk Valley (one of the few natural gaps in the Appalachian Mountains) and made it easier to ship stuff between the then-West (now Midwest) and the rest of the world through New York. It helped that New York Harbor is one of the largest natural harbors in the world, which meant New York could easily handle a lot of ship traffic without needing a ton of infrastructure improvements. The establishment of the New York Stock Exchange from its roots in the Buttonwood Agreement of 1792 and its growth alongside New York itself through the 19th Century helped to seal the deal. Today, Manhattan's Fifth Avenue is world-renowned for its high-end shopping.

* Portugal was the early leader in seafaring trade as the Ottomans controlled access to goods from India and China and they wanted to find a way to bypass them. As Portugal's martime trading empire spread across the globe from Brazil to southern Africa to Goa to Macau and Nagasaki, Lisbon became the hub of its wealth of goods from African/Indonesian spices to Indian diamonds to Ming vases and silk to Brazilian sugar, and other countries traders made their way to the city to make their money, from English and Dutch to German and Italian and even Indian, Chinese, and Japanese. By the mid-18th century other burgeoning European colonial empires were starting to muscle in on Portugal's hold, but Lisbon's sheer size and influence was so large at that point that the 1755 earthquake that destroyed 85% of the city and killed between 12,000 and 50,000 people was a massive shock to Europe beyond the physical rumbles, calling into question the idea of a just and actively caring God among Enlightenment thinkers of the day like Voltaire as the earthquake took place on All Saints' Day (November 1).

* UsefulNotes/{{Paris}}, back in her early days. That's why the city's coat-of-arms displays a trim merchant ship in silver (representing money by commerce, not through the royal mint.)
* Amsterdam was and is a commonly used port for trans-Atlantic trade, especially when the Netherlands had overseas colonies.
* Rotterdam doesn't look like it in city centre, but it has the biggest port of Europe, most of it located outside the city and largely automated.
* Germany: Lübeck, UsefulNotes/{{Hamburg}}, Danzig and the rest of the UsefulNotes/HanseaticLeague.
* UsefulNotes/{{London}} specialises in merchant ''banking'' these days, but is still a busy port.
* Liverpool in the heyday of the cotton trade, much less so these days.
* An upmarket area of Glasgow directly adjacent to the city centre is called actually called the Merchant City. (Commemorating the fact that before it was an industrial center, Glasgow was a commercial center. Let's not dwell too much on the fact that the commerce it specialized in was [[NeverLiveItDown the transatlantic slave trade.]])

* Istanbul, exemplified by its Grand Bazaar. Both land routes (coming in from the east via Anatolia and west through the Balkans) and sea routes (from the Black Sea to the north and the Mediterranean to the south) converged here, the main reason why it became the seat of government for both the Byzantine and Ottoman empires.

** Historically, Osaka was this for Japan, as it wasn't until the Tokugawa shogunate was established in the late 16th Century that the center of power shifted east to the Kanto Plain. Being a port very close to the traditional center of power in Kyoto as well as being on the Inland Sea (so it wasn't as given to being trashed by tsunamis and typhoons), rice shipments (samurai were paid in rice) naturally congregated there and gave the otherwise looked-down-upon merchants (who traditionally were considered the lowest of the four classes in Japanese society[[note]]Burakumin, who were treated as outcasts because their occupations dealt with taboo things like death such as slaughterhouses and tanners, weren't counted[[/note]]) economic power over the samurai by the time of the Meiji Restoration.

A city populated mainly by merchants, or known for its trade opportunities. While the term "trade city" can be tautological because any settlement large enough to support any kind of labor specialization requires trade between two different parties to function, these cities are defined by the influence of its traders, merchants, and financiers in its daily life. Tends to be a port, especially a seaport in works set historically and even into the modern day as ships have been far and away the most cost-effective means of transporting cargo in large quantities. In fiction, it may be in a spaceport.

Access to large amounts of financial capital is also usually needed in order to support the high-risk/high-reward ventures often undertaken by an IntrepidMerchant, so there will be banks and wealthy investors. As a port city, it will be filled with warehouses (includingsome {{Abandoned Warehouse}}s), which make it easy for heroes and villains to plot intrigues and move and store secret cargoes.

Access to large amounts of financial capital is also usually needed in order to support the high-risk/high-reward ventures often undertaken by an IntrepidMerchant. As a port city, it will be filled with warehouses, which make it easy for heroes and villains to plot intrigues and move and store secret cargoes.

{{Obstructive Bureaucrat}}s and CityGuards hover to check papers and collect taxes, but often a wad of money makes them wave you through. It's a port city, so some may be a WretchedHive of rogues and pickpockets, so watch your back.

It usually has a BlackMarket where VenturousSmuggler can get you "off the books" items and/or a BazaarOfTheBizarre. You can buy the best available items there, or at least have the most variety to choose from. Often, a variety of entertainments are available for weary travellers, from gambling to TheOldestProfession.

* Vanity Fair of ''Literature/PilgrimsProgress''.

* The ''Franchise/StarTrek'' franchise has Ferenginar, homeworld of the Ferengi. Being merchants is the Ferengi's [[PlanetOfHats hat]], and it really shows. There are hidden fees everywhere, from entering someone's home, to using the elevator, to even sitting down in a waiting room.

** Syrania in fourth edition of ''TabletopGame/{{Eberron}}''.

** And though the sourcebooks don't really focus on it, it's clear that [[TabletopGame/{{Planescape}} Sigil]] itself is one - hosting portals to literally anywhere means that it's THE crossroads of the multiverse. The Golden Lords are periodically mentioned as some of the most fantastically rich individuals on the planes, mostly by taking advantage of Sigil's opportunities. However, since the game is focused on the ideological conflict of the factions as well as Sigil's potential as a jumping-off point for adventure, the mercantile side of the city went largely unexplored by the writers except as what would support adventurers.

* Mirage, a city in the Cleft of Dimension in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyV''. When it reappears in the real world it's full of merchants and some of the best items in the game can be bought there.
* Beiser in ''VideoGame/TrialsOfMana'' is a port city full of merchants, and has a Black Market that you can access by waiting for it to become night. Ironically though, it's the only town in the game where you can't buy regular supplies. This was actually fixed in the 2020 remake.
* Illium in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' is a capitalist heaven: It is an independent planet outside the jurisdiction of any major government and while the planet is extremely rich, there are almost no rules on anything. During your stay, you are constantly bombarded with cheesy comercials and merchants making ridiculous claims to their customers.
* Tradefair, Rogurd's hometown in ''VideoGame/BlackSigil'', is a Merchant City and also has a Black Market.
* In ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' games, the capital is usually like this, often named Castle Town or Windfall Island.

* Constructable in ''[[VideoGame/MedievalIITotalWar Medieval II Total War]]'' is the Merchants' Quarter, which turns over an entire section of the city to trade.
* Hong Kong in ''VideoGame/DeusEx''.
* [[MartialPacifist Zoner]] Freeports and [[BlackMarket Junker]] bases in ''{{VideoGame/Freelancer}}'' are like this, according to rumors on bases, and chatter on ArtificialAtmosphericActions, but GameplayAndStorySegregation is in effect when you visit.

* Varrock city in ''VideoGame/RuneScape'' is this for players, as it's where the Grand Exchange, a big facility that lets people put their items for sale or buy from other players without direct contact, is located. Before the Grand Exchange was added, it was Varrock for free players and Falador for members, but only on certain merchant worlds. Ardougne, another big city with lots of stalls in the middle is this for [=NPCs=].
* Crossbell in the ''VideoGame/TrailsSeries'' is a sprawling metropolis similiar to real world New York City and Hong Kong, being the heart of commerce of the continent and one of the richest places in Zemuria. However, this also makes it a ''very'' hotly contested territory between the two major superpowers of the world: the Erebonian Empire and the Republic of Calvard.

* The Carcino region from ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheSacredStones'' comes to mind; it's the only nation of the six in the game that doesn't house a MineralMacGuffin, in favour of being a mercantile state. That said, [[GameplayAndStorySegregation it doesn't have any particularly special items for the player party purchase ingame...]]
* Virtually every major city in ''VideoGame/RagnarokOnline'' are packed with [[IntrepidMerchant Intrepid Merchants]], but a special mention goes to the PortTown of Alberta, where Merchants are trained from Novices.
* ''VideoGame/SecretOfEvermore'' has Nobilia.

* In ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVII'', one of the final forms for the immigrant town is the Bazaar, which has shops selling some of the best equipment in the game (including the Metal King Shield, hands down the best shield in the game).

* Any and every province designated a "Centre of Trade" in ''VideoGame/EuropaUniversalis III'', including several of the real-life examples below.
* The Republic DLC for ''VideoGame/CrusaderKingsII'' introduces Merchant Republics ruled by families of {{Merchant Prince}}s, including many Real Life examples.
* Mercantile City-states in ''VideoGame/{{Civilization}} V'' are named after famous examples from history. Get on their good side and they'll send out shipments of luxury goods to increase major nations' [[MoraleMechanic Happiness]], including unique goods that can't be obtained any other way. The player can also choose to focus cities on trade by building Wonders such as the Great Lighthouse, Petra, and the East India Company, or turn their entire nation into a ProudMerchantRace by taking up the Commerce and Navigation policy trees.
* Jita has become such a massive trade hub in ''VideoGame/EVEOnline'' that all missions and resources have been removed from the system and it's been moved to own server in order to handle the traffic. Of particular interest is the fact that Jita became the premier trading hub of New Eden not through developer edict, but through players following actual market forces of supply and demand.

* The nation of Ul'dah in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' is practically run by merchants. While the nation does have a Sultana, she's just a [[PuppetKing figurehead]] since the true leaders are the Syndicate, which are a group of the nation's wealthiest merchants. The nation's motto is "For Coin and Country".

* In ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'', Sandsedge. A town of tents, but one gathering traders from the whole Western Continent.

* In ''{{Webcomic/Drowtales}}'', "Chel'el'Sussoloth was built around the Klar'bol, the market section is literally the heart of the city".

* In ''Manga/HeterogeniaLinguistico'', "[[IDontLikeTheSoundOfThatPlace Death Village]]" turns out to be a temporary trading post that's only inhabited part of the year.

* In ''Franchise/StarWars'', "Mos Eisley was built from the beginning with commerce in mind."
* Bartertown in ''Film/MadMaxBeyondThunderdome''. Trading is required to be able to enter, and holding on the deals is enforced by law.

* The Bazaar on the dimension of Deva in the ''Literature/MythAdventures'' series. While it doesn't come close to covering the world's landmass and in fact slowly migrates across it, it's the only settlement, transportation to Deva always routes visitors wherever it presently is rather than to geographic coordinates, and there's nothing else on Deva worth seeing in any event. (The land itself can no longer support life and the natives turned entirely to cross-dimensional trade to support themselves.)

** The Free City of Braavos, based as it is on Venice (see Real Life below).

* The aptly named Trading Cities in ''Literature/InvisibleCities'', although they play with the idea. One particular city trades stories, another, character roles.
* Literature/{{Discworld}}'s Ankh-Morpork is without compare. Invaders often found that within a few days they no longer own their weapons and are just absorbed into the general ethnic character of the city. These days, Ankh Morpork is basically immune to war, because it's the trade and economic capital of the world. Not for nothing is their national anthem "We Can Rule You Wholesale" - "''Let others boast of martial dash / For we have boldly fought with cash / We own all your helmets, we own all your shoes / We own all your generals - touch us and you'll lose''".
* Gayjur in ''Literature/TheSparrow'', and while it's due to his unfortunate life circumstances, Supaari is definitely a ProudMerchantRace Guy.

* The entire Iskoort world in ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'' is a giant metropolis where one can purchase anything he or she wants (even recorded memories).
* The ''Literature/RealmOfTheElderlings'' series has Bingtown, situated near the mouth of the Rain Wild River on the Cursed Shores. The Bingtown Traders consider themselves an exclusive caste, basically rule themselves via the Traders Council and are very proud of being the descendants of those who came to the Cursed Shores with nothing but themselves and not only managed to survive but also to make a fortune.

* Isle of Stars in ''Literature/TalesFromNetheredge'', whose main port is a landing point for most of the trade between the countries of Netheredge and the [[TheEmpire Calisto Empire]].

{{Obstructive Bureaucrat}}s and guards hover to check papers and collect taxes, but often a wad of money makes them wave you through. It's a port city, so some may be a WretchedHive of rogues and pickpockets, so watch your back.

It sually has a BlackMarket where VenturousSmuggler can get you "off the books" items and/or a BazaarOfTheBizarre. You can buy the best available items there, or at least have the most variety to choose from. Often, a variety of entertainments are available for weary travellers, from gambling to TheOldestProfession.

{{ObstructiveBureaucrat}}s and guards hover to check papers and collect taxes, but often a wad of money makes them wave you through. It's a port city, so some may be a WretchedHive of rogues and pickpockets, so watch your back.

Access to large amounts of financial capital is also usually needed in order to support the high-risk/high-reward ventures often undertaken by an IntrepidMerchant. As a port city, it will be filled with warehouses, which make it easy for heroes and villains to plot intrigues and move and store secret cargoes. ObstructiveBureaucrats hover to check papers and collect taxes, but often a wad of money makes them wave you through. It's a port city, so some may be a WretchedHive of rogues and pickpockets, so watch your back.

Access to large amounts of financial capital is also usually needed in order to support the high-risk/high-reward ventures often undertaken by an IntrepidMerchant. Usually has a BlackMarket where VenturousSmuggler can get you "off the books" items and/or a BazaarOfTheBizarre. You can buy the best available items there, or at least have the most variety to choose from.

This is often, but not always the capital or HubCity. It's a port city, so some may be a WretchedHive of rogues and pickpockets, so watch your back.

On many occasions it will be the hometown of a ProudMerchantRace, and will be the favorite hangout of the IntrepidMerchant. Some are even ruled by {{Merchant Prince}}s.

A city populated mainly by merchants, or known for its shopping opportunities. While the term "trade city" can be tautological because any settlement large enough to support any kind of labor specialization requires trade between two different parties to function, these cities are defined by the influence of its traders, merchants, and financiers in its daily life. Tends to be a port, especially a seaport in works set historically and even into the modern day as ships have been far and away the most cost-effective means of transporting cargo in large quantities. In fiction, it may be in a spaceport.

Access to large amounts of financial capital is also usually needed in order to support the high-risk/high-reward ventures often undertaken by an IntrepidMerchant. Usually has a BlackMarket where TheVenturesomeSmuggler can get you "off the books" items and/or a BazaarOfTheBizarre. You can buy the best available items there, or at least have the most variety to choose from.

This is often, but not always the capital or HubCity. Some may be a WretchedHive of rogues and pickpockets, so watch your back.

Access to large amounts of financial capital is also usually needed in order to support the high-risk/high-reward ventures often undertaken by an IntrepidMerchant. Usually has a BlackMarket where the VenturesomeSmuggler can get you "off the books" items and/or a BazaarOfTheBizarre. You can buy the best available items there, or at least have the most variety to choose from.

This is often, but not always the capital or HubCity. Some may be a WickedHive of rogues and pickpockets, so watch your back.

A city populated mainly by merchants, or known for its shopping opportunities. While the term "trade city" can be tautological because any settlement large enough to support any kind of labor specialization requires trade between two different parties to function, these cities are defined by the influence of its traders, merchants, and financiers in its daily life. Tends to be a port, especially a seaport in works set historically and even into the modern day as ships have been far and away the most cost-effective means of transporting cargo in large quantities. Access to large amounts of financial capital is also usually needed in order to support the high-risk high-reward ventures often undertaken by an IntrepidMerchant. Usually has a BlackMarket and/or a BazaarOfTheBizarre. You can buy the best available items there, or at least have the most variety to choose from.

This is often, but not always the capital or HubCity.

* Portugal was the early leader in seafaring trade as the Ottomans controlled access to goods from India and China and they wanted to find a way to bypass them. As Portugal's martime trading empire spread across the globe from Brazil to southern Africa to Goa to Macau and Nagasaki, Lisbon became the hub of its wealth of goods from African/Indonesian spices to Indian diamonds to Ming vases and silk to Brazilian sugar, and other countries traders made their way to the city to make their money, from English and Dutch to German and Italian and even Indian, Chinese, and Japanese. By the mid-18th century other burgeoning European colonial empires were starting to muscle in on Portugal's hold, but Lisbon's sheer size and influence was so large at that point that the 1755 earthquake that destroyed 85% of the city and killed between 12,000 and 50,000 people was a massive shock to Europe beyond the physical rumbles, calling into question the idea of a just and actively
caring God among Enlightenment thinkers of the day like Voltaire as the earthquake took place on All Saints' Day (November 1).

* Name a city-state from medieval or early Renassiance UsefulNotes/{{Italy}} and it's probably a Merchant City. Special mention should go to UsefulNotes/{{Venice}} - there is, after all, a Shakespeare play called ''Theatre/TheMerchantOfVenice''.
* The Republic of Ragusa (now part of modern-day Croatia) also deserves an honorable mention. It had trade outposts and colonies throughout the Mediterranean, a lively and sophisticated merchant culture and eventually even outlasted its greatest rival - Venice.

* ''Literature/TheGrishaverse'': Ketterdam (based on Amsterdam), is a WrecthedHive city that runs on the worship of the god of commerce and trade, as well as allowing anybody to trade anything. The city is even run by a merchant council.

** ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms'' has Waterdeep, Calimport, Raven's Bluff... Amn in general is known as "Merchant's Domain" -- people there call [[GrimReaper the god of death]] "Black Forecloser" and that's not even a joke. Its capital city Athkatla (nicknamed "City of Coin") is [[UpToEleven so much of a merchant city]], it's a HolyCity of the trade goddess.

* The Grand Bazaar of Istanbul - see the page pic. Both land routes (coming in from the east via Anatolia and west through the Balkans) and sea routes (from the Black Sea to the north and the Mediterranean to the south) converged at Istanbul.

* Novgorod, in UsefulNotes/{{Russia}}, before Ivan the Terrible burned it down.