Location from Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
The Amsterdam of the Grishaverse — a canal city of trade, crime, and opportunity where gangs rule the Barrel, merchants rule the Exchange, and everybody rules themselves.
Ketterdam is the capital of Kerch and the Six of Crows' primary setting. It's the wealthiest city in the Grishaverse — a neutral trade hub where money is the only god (literally: Ghezen, god of industry, is the state religion). The Exchange sets global commodity prices. The Merchant Council of thirteen families runs the government. The Barrel is Ketterdam's criminal heart — East Stave for gambling, West Stave for brothels, and gangs like the Dregs, Dime Lions, Black Tips, and Razorgulls fighting for territory. The contrast between the Financial District's gleaming respectability and the Barrel's open criminality is the city's defining feature. Everyone is working an angle. Everyone has a price.
Low-terrain city built on canals — inspired by Amsterdam, Antwerp, and Las Vegas. The Financial District gleams with merchant wealth. The Barrel seethes with gambling dens, brothels, and gang headquarters. Government District holds embassies. Little Ravka is the Ravkan enclave with hidden Grisha tunnels beneath.
Also known as: Ketterdam, The City of Merchants