Explore the real places in St. Petersburg that appear in Crime and Punishment by Fëdor Michajlovi Dostoevskij. Each location on the map shows what happens there in the novel, the real history of the place, and what's there today. Featured locations include Raskolnikov's Garret, The Pawnbroker's House, Sennaya Square (Haymarket), Sonya Marmeladova's Lodging, The Marmeladov Tavern and 7 more.
Grafsky Lane & Stolyarny Lane — The cramped room of a feverish student
Rodion Raskolnikov lives in a tiny, yellow-papered room under the roof, which he compares to a coffin or a cupboard. Here he nurses the theory that an extraordinary man may transgress moral law, and here he lies feverish after the murder. Razumikhin, Zosimov and Porfiry Petrovich all visit him in this room.
The building at Stolyarny Lane 19 is traditionally identified as Raskolnikov's house, based on Dostoevsky's description of the neighborhood. Dostoevsky himself lived in the area around the Haymarket in the 1860s. The district was crowded with tenements housing poor students, clerks and artisans.
The corner building bears a memorial plaque and is associated with the novel. The surrounding streets are part of the Dostoevsky literary trail, and the courtyard and stairwells draw fans of the book. The residential building itself is not an official museum.
Visit: Raskolnikov House (Stolyarny Lane 19) (landmark)
Griboyedov Canal Embankment 104 — Alyona Ivanovna's apartment
Raskolnikov climbs to the fourth-floor apartment of the old pawnbroker Alyona Ivanovna and kills her with an axe taken from the porter's room. Her half-sister Lizaveta unexpectedly walks in and he kills her too. He narrowly escapes detection as Koch and Pestryakov knock at the door while he hides inside.
The building at Griboyedov Canal 104 is traditionally identified as the pawnbroker's house, with a staircase of about 730 steps from Raskolnikov's garret reputedly counted by fans. The canal area was a dense district of moneylenders and small tenements in the 19th century.
The house stands on the canal embankment and has a memorial plaque. It is a residential building but is a well-known stop on literary walking tours.
Visit: Pawnbroker's House on Griboyedov Canal (tour)
Sennaya Ploshchad — The heart of the slums
Raskolnikov overhears a student and an officer discussing the pawnbroker in a tavern, and later hears Lizaveta arranging to be away, which seems to him like fate. At the end, at Sonya's urging, he kneels in the middle of the Haymarket, kisses the ground and confesses aloud to the crowd.
Sennaya Square was Saint Petersburg's main hay and produce market from the 18th century and was infamous for poverty, crime and taverns. A church of the Assumption stood in the square until it was demolished in 1961.
The square is now a busy transport hub with a metro station and a memorial to the lost church. A small monument near Sennaya marks the area's literary history.
Visit: Sennaya Square (landmark)
Kapernaumov's house, Griboyedov Canal — Sonya's rented room
Sonya Marmeladova rents a room from the tailor Kapernaumov, whose family speaks with a stammer. Here Raskolnikov confesses the murders to her, and she reads aloud the story of the raising of Lazarus. She urges him to confess publicly and promises to follow him to Siberia.
The house on the Griboyedov Canal near Voznesensky Prospect is traditionally linked with Sonya's lodging. Dostoevsky set many scenes along the canal, which was lined with tenement housing.
The building is private housing with a plaque and is visited on literary walking tours. The canal embankment itself is open for strolling.
Near Sennaya — Where Raskolnikov meets Marmeladov
In a tavern, Raskolnikov meets the drunken former clerk Semyon Marmeladov, who tells his tale of ruin: his consumptive wife Katerina Ivanovna, their starving children, and daughter Sonya forced into prostitution. The encounter plants in Raskolnikov a deep sense of the injustice of poverty. Marmeladov is later run over by a carriage and dies in his rooms.
The Haymarket area was thick with cheap taverns and drinking houses serving the poor. Dostoevsky drew on observations of this district for scenes of Petersburg's destitute.
The exact tavern is unidentified, but nearby cafes and restaurants evoke the era. The district's literary associations are marked by plaques and monuments.
Where Raskolnikov witnesses a suicide attempt
Raskolnikov wanders the canals of Petersburg in a fever of guilt and watches a woman jump from a bridge into the water before she is rescued. The scene deepens his sense of despair and isolation as he considers his own end. He also walks along the canal embankment after the murder, haunted by thoughts of the crime.
The Catherine Canal, now Griboyedov Canal, was built in the 18th century and lined with bridges. The Voznesensky Bridge crosses it near Voznesensky Prospect.
The canal is a scenic pedestrian route popular with visitors. Boat tours pass beneath its bridges in summer.
Visit: Griboyedov Canal Embankment (park)
Sadovaya Street — Raskolnikov's dream of a public garden
Raskolnikov considers the Yusupov Garden near Sennaya, thinking it could refresh the air in crowded Petersburg. His wanderings across the district reveal his restlessness and moral turmoil. The garden is part of the geography of poverty and glimpses of beauty in the novel.
The Yusupov Garden belonged to the Yusupov Palace on Sadovaya Street and was opened to the public in the 19th century. It was a rare green space in the dense Haymarket district.
The garden is now a public park with a pond and walking paths. It is a popular spot for locals and visitors.
Visit: Yusupov Garden (park)
Where Raskolnikov is summoned and later confesses
Raskolnikov is summoned to the police station about a debt to his landlady and faints when he overhears talk of the murder. Later he returns to confess to Ilya Petrovich (Gunpowder Lieutenant) after Sonya's urging. His hesitation here shows the struggle between pride and conscience.
Police offices in Petersburg were scattered across the districts, with the Haymarket under heavy surveillance because of crime. Dostoevsky shaped the station from his knowledge of the district.
The exact station is not preserved, but the area retains its 19th-century street plan. Tours often point out the likely sites.
Kuznechny Lane 5/2 — Where the author wrote and died
Dostoevsky lived here in his final years while completing The Brothers Karamazov. The museum reconstructs his study and the world that shaped novels like Crime and Punishment. It offers context on the real Petersburg streets he wrote about.
Dostoevsky lived in this apartment from 1878 until his death in 1881. The museum opened in 1971 and preserves his study and family rooms.
The museum displays manuscripts, personal items and period rooms, and hosts exhibitions about his life and works. It is a main destination for readers of Dostoevsky.
Visit: F. M. Dostoevsky Literary Memorial Museum (museum)
Near the Admiralty — Raskolnikov follows a drunken girl
Raskolnikov notices a drunken young girl being followed by a lecherous dandy on the boulevard. He gives money to a policeman to protect her, then abruptly gives up in despair about helping anyone. The scene captures his shifting compassion and cynicism.
Konnogvardeysky Boulevard, near St. Isaac's Cathedral, was a fashionable promenade laid out in the 19th century. It contrasts with the squalor of the Haymarket.
The boulevard is a tree-lined promenade running toward the Neva. It is a pleasant walking route popular with visitors.
Visit: Konnogvardeysky Boulevard (park)
Neva River — Raskolnikov's vision of the city
Standing on the bridge over the Neva, Raskolnikov gazes at the dazzling panorama of the Winter Palace and cathedral dome, and feels a cold, spectral emptiness. He recalls having stared at this view as a student and feeling the same detachment. It is a key moment of his alienation from the world.
The Blagoveshchensky (Annunciation) Bridge, first opened in 1850 as Nikolaevsky Bridge, was the first permanent bridge across the Neva. The embankment provides sweeping views across the river.
The bridge, now called Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge, is a major crossing. Its embankments are public promenades with views of the Admiralty and Winter Palace.
Visit: Annunciation Bridge (Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge) (landmark)
Where Raskolnikov dreams after the murder's first hours
After wandering aimlessly, Raskolnikov walks to Petrovsky Island, where he falls asleep in the bushes and dreams of the beaten mare. The dream recalls his childhood horror at cruelty and shows the part of him that rejects violence. He wakes to hear that Lizaveta will be absent, which seems fatally fortuitous.
Petrovsky Island lies in the Neva delta and was a popular green retreat from the 19th century. Its parks and wooded areas offered respite from the crowded city.
The island contains parks, the Petrovsky Stadium and quiet waterfront paths. It is a relaxed place for walking away from the center.
Visit: Petrovsky Park (park)
More by Fëdor Michajlovi Dostoevskij: All Fëdor Michajlovi Dostoevskij books
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