Dostoevsky in Saint Petersburg
Travel guide to all places of Fyodor Dostoevsky in St. Petersburg
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Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky lived in the city about 28 years in total and where he developed as a writer.
During trips to St. Petersburg for the period 2016–2019, I walked around the city and made a map of places that are somehow connected with Fyodor Mikhailovich’s life and novels: Google Maps.
Before exile
1. Serapinskaya Hotel
May 1837. Stayed for a few days with his father and brother Mikhail during his first arrival to the city.
2. Kostomarov boarding house (the old house did not preserved)
May 1837 – 16 January 1838. Prepare for exams at the Main Engineering School.
3. Saint Michael’s Castle
16 January 1838 – August 1841. Studied and lived in the Main Engineering School. His favourite place was a corner cubicle by the window overlooking the Panteleimon bridge.
4. Setkov House (the old house preserved in a rebuilt form)
August 1841 – February 1842. On August 12th 1841 he was promoted to engineer warrant officer with the possibility to live privately. He and his classmate Adolph Totleben rented a small two-room apartment.
5. Pryanichnikov House
February 1842 – late 1845. Rented an apartment on the second floor with his brother Andrey. From 1844 to 1845 Dostoyevsky’s neighbour was Dmitry Grigorovich, to whom he read his first novel «Poor Folk» in may 1845.
6. Spas na Sennoy
The church was visited by Dostoevsky (it was demolished during soviet period, now there is a chapel at this place). Heroes of the novel «Poor Folk» presumably inhabited this area.
7. Lerche Restaurant
Celebrated graduation from the Main Engineering School in Lerche’s restaurant on June 30th 1843.
8. Tulubev House
Dmitry Grigorovich brought manuscript of «Poor Folk» to poet Nikolay Nekrasov. After Nekrasov finished the full work during the night he proclaimed Dostoyevsky «the New Gogol».
9. Kuchin House
The end of 1845 – the beginning of 1846. He lived in a three-room apartment on the first floor, windows facing Grebetskaya street (it is the 5th-7th windows to the right of the arch Dostoevsky street). Wrote the novel «The Double».
10. Pavlov House
May 1846. He lived here for less than a month before leaving for the summer to Revel to his brother Michael.
11. Kochendorf House
6 September 1846 – November 1846. Finished story «Mr. Prokharchin». Met here Alexander Herzen on October 5th 1846.
12. Soloshich House
November 1846 – February 1847. Rented a few rooms with brothers Beketovs.
13. Wolf and Beranger
The participants of the literary discussion group The Petrashevsky Circle gathered in the cafe «Wolf and Beranger». In spring of 1846 Dostoyevsky became acquainted with Mikhail Petrashevsky.
14. Bolshaya Podyacheskaya ulitsa
January 1948 – late May 1948. Lived with his brother’s Michail family. Then they moved to Pargolovo for the summer, and in return settled back in the old apartment in the house of Shil.
15. Shil House
February 1847 – 23 April 1849. Lived on the third floor, wrote stories «White Nights» and «Netochka Nezvanova». 23 April 1849 was arrested and imprisoned in Peter and Paul Fortress.
16. Peter and Paul Fortress
23 April 1849 – 22 December 1849. Wrote the novel «A Little Hero» in prison in the Alexeev ravelin (ravelin’s prison was destroyed in 1895). After the sentence he left St. Petersburg and retired from the literary process for 10 years.
After exile
17. Politin House (the old house did not preserved)
The end of December 1859 – late August 1861. Returned to the city after exile, worked on novels «The House of the Dead» and «Humiliated and Insulted».
18. Astafieva House
September 1861 – August 1863. Rented a five-room apartment on the second floor with a kitchen, finished novel «The House of the Dead».
19. Tomas House
At this time Dostoevsky traveled in Europe and his stepson Pavel Isaev lived at this address. The writer stayed in his stepson’s apartment during his visits to St. Petersburg in late 1863 – early 1864.
20. Evreinov House
April 1864. Stayed after the death of his first wife Maria Dmitriyevna Isaeva.
21. Alonkin House
20 August 1864 – 20 January 1867. Wrote novels «Crime and Punishment» and «The Gambler» and met his second wife Anna Grigoryevna Snitkina.
22. Kostromskaya Ulitsa
3 november 1866. The first time he visited the apartment of his second wife Anna Grigoryevna Snitkina: «And I’ve been looking for you since seven o’clock. I went around the neighborhood and asked everybody. Everyone knows that there is a Kostromskaya street here, but they ca not tell you how to get into it».
23. Derzhavin / Kukanovs / Adam House
1860’s. The Dostoevskys visited their close literary friend Apollon Nikolayevich Maykov in his apartments, for example, according to the memoirs of Annd Dostoevskaya: «In the evening of this day, we were invited to spend the evening with the Maykovs. Knowing this, our guests left immediately after dinner».
24. Schirmer House
21 January – 14 April 1867. Rented a five-room apartment on the second floor before his second marriage. After that he went abroad.
25. Trinity Cathedral
15 February 1867 married here on the same day of his release from the Omsk prison camp.
26. Volkov Hotel (the old house did not preserved)
8–9 July 1871. According to the memoirs of Anna Grigorievna Dostoevskaya, after returning from abroad «we stayed at a hotel on the Bolshaya Konyushennaya, but only for two days. It was inconvenient and expensive». The address is assumed, because they could also stay at the hotel «Demut».
27. Demut Hotel (the old house was rebuilt)
8–9 July 1871. The hotel’s address is unknown to the biographers, but probably Dostoevskys could live here for two days after returning from abroad.
28. Mickiewicz House (the old house did not preserved)
10 July – 22–23 August 1871. After returning from abroad he rented two rooms where his son Fyodor was born.
29. Arkhangelsk House (the old house did not preserved)
22–23 August 1871 – 15 May 1872. Lived here before leaving for the summer to Staraya Russa. He posed here for the famous portrait by the painter Perov.
30. Maximilianovsky Hospital
24–26 May 1872. Returned from Staraya Russa, because of a broken arm of his three-year-old daughter Lyuba. He lived in the hospital’s inn with his wife for two days.
31. Mebes House (the old house was completely rebuilt)
The end of August 1872 – March 1873. Finished the novel «Demons» and started editing «The Citizen» magazine. The room was on the second floor of an inside outbuilding which has not been preserved.
32. Slivchansky House
March 1873 – May 1874. Moved to a place closer to the publishing house of «The Citizen» magazine, started working on the novel «The Adolescent». He did not like the owner of the house and the noise on the street.
33. «The Citizen» magazine
1873 – April 1874. Was an editor and wrote a weekly political review column, published essays «A Writer’s Diary».
34. Former guardhouse
21–23 March 1874. Spent two days under arrest in military prison due to violation of censorship as an editor in «The Citizen» magazine.
35. Dagmar Hotel
5–7 June 1875. Stopped once on the way from Staraya Russa to Bad Ems. The hotel and the room turned out to be «the worst».
36. Znamenskaya Hotel
He stayed at the «Znamenskaya» hotel several times: from 5 to 16 February 1875, where he corrected the first part of the novel «The Adolescent», then 12–15 May 1875 and 6–9 July 1875, while returning from Ems. Then 9–11 August, 1876, where he suffered an epileptic. And passed by on the night of 19–20 July 1879.
37. Strubinsky House
20 September 1875 – May 1878. The apartment was on the third floor with an entrance from the backyard. Finished the novel «The Adolescent», moved out after the death of his younger son.
38. Duke of Oldenburg Hospital
1876–1877. The hospital was on Dostoevsky’s route during his hour-long evening walks when he lived with his family in the «Peski» district.
39. Bezobrazov House
1879–1880. In the last years of his life, Dostoevsky attended «Friday readings» at the apartment of the poet Yakov Petrovich Polonsky.
40. Dostoevsky Museum
Dostoevsky had rented an apartment in this building twice, once for a very short time in 1846, and then from October 1878 until his death on February 9th (January 28th by the Old Style date) 1881. Here he wrote his last novel «The Brothers Karamazov».
41. Dostoevsky’s grave
Dostoevsky was buried February 14th (February 1st by the Old Style date) 1881 in the Tikhvin Cemetery. His tombstone is inscribed with lines from the New Testament: Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it dies, it bringeth forth much fruit. – John 12:24.
42. Dostoevsky’s monument
The monument was opened in 1997.
Based on novels
The heroes of Dostoevsky’s novels act and move around St. Petersburg with topographic accuracy. Some streets and sights, such as Nevsky Prospect, are clearly indicated in text, but others have only to guess.
43. Shestilavochnaya ulitsa
A titular councillor Golyadkin of the novel «Double» and Filipp Filippych Masloboyev of the novel «Humiliated and Insulted» lived there.
44. Smith House
Oldster Smith and later Ivan Petrovich of the novel «Humiliated and Insulted» lived there.
45. 6th Line of Vasilyevsky Ostrov
There was a house of Bubnova, where Nellie lived after the death of her mother.
46. 13th Line of Vasilyevsky Ostrov
Ikhmenev’s family (Nikolai Sergeyevich and Anna Andreyevna) lived there.
47. Natasha Ikhmeneva House
Natasha Ikhmeneva of the novel «Humiliated and Insulted» presumably could live there.
48. Torgovyy Brindge
Ivan Petrovich and knyaz Valkovsky went to countess, who lived nearby.
49. Borel Restaurant
Ivan Petrovich and knyaz Valkovsky went to dinner.
50. Gostiny Dvor
The main character of the novel «Notes from the Underground» tried to buy a beaver collar for his coat.
51. Kokushkin Bridge
Raskolnikov passed over the bridge on the way to an old moneylender lady.
52. Konnogvardeyskiy Boulevard
Raskolnikov met a drunk girl on a bench.
53. Sennaya Square
Mentioned multiple times in the novel «Crime and Punishment».
54. Cristal Palace
The tavern where Raskolnikov listened to Svidrigailov’s story.
55. Vyazemsky Lavla
It was a group of houses between Sennaya square and the Fontanka river in the XIX century, where cheap taverns and rooming houses were settled. Svidrigailov mentioned that he spent a night there.
56. Raskolnikov House
On the fourth floor there was an apartment where Rodion rented a tiny room.
57. Sonya Marmeladova House
Sonya Marmeladova rented a room on the third floor.
58. Old Moneylender Lady House
There were «730 steps» from the gates of Raskolnikov’s house to the old moneylender lady Alyona Ivanovna.
59. Pereulok Grivtsova
Raskolnikov overheard the conversation with Lizaveta.
60. Raskolnikov’s Stash
Raskolnikov hid stolen things and the wallet from the murdered old lady under a stone in this courtyard. The courtyard does not exist, the house in this place was rebuilt in 1950.
61. Police Department*
According to one version Raskolnikov had a conversation with Porfiriy Petrovich in the former Kazan police station, it’s a quarter of a mile from his house, as mentioned in the novel. According to another version their conversation took place in the former Spasskaya police station (Sadovaya ulitsa, 58).
62. Police Department**
According to one version Raskolnikov talked with Porfiriy Petrovich in the former Spasskaya police station. According to another version their talk took place in the former Kazan police station (Naberezhnaya Kanala Griboyedova, 99).
63. Brothel
A side street where Raskolnikov met prostitutes.
64. Yusupov Garden
Raskolnikov passed it by during his walks.
65. Voznesenskiy Bridge
Raskolnikov had stood on the bridge and saw how a woman tried to drown herself. Here Katerina Ivanovna has gone crazy. Ivan Petrovich of the novel «Humiliated and Insulted» saw how Nellie begged.
66. Bakaleev House
Former «Varvarinskaya Hotel», where Luzhin settled Raskolnikov’s mother and sister. There was Miller’s confectionery, where Ivan Petrovich of the novel «Humiliated and Insulted» met oldster Smith.
67. Five Corners
Nastasya Filipovna Barashkova of the novel «Idiot» lived there. Near this place was the first Raskolnikov’s apartment, as his friend Razumikhin said.
68. General Epanchin House
General lived in his own house away from Liteyniy avenue and near the Transfiguration Cathedral. However, the Epanchin’s house could be located directly on the opposite side of the Transfiguration square: Ulitsa Ryleyeva, 1.
69. Rogozhin House
Parfyon Rogozhin lived there: «This house was big, dark, three floors, without any architecture, dirty-green».
70. Yekateringof Park
Parfyon Rogozhin and Nastasya Filipovna went there to celebrate her birthday.
71. Summer Garden
Knyaz Myshkin sat on a bench under a linden tree.
72. Vitebsky railway station
Dostoevsky did not name a station, but this is the only railway station that the heroes of the novel «Idiot» could go to Pavlovsk. By the way, this is the first railway station built in Russia (1837).
73. Varshavskiy railway station
Knyaz Myshkin arrived at this railway station from Europe.
74. Police Bridge
From the story «The Eternal Husband»: «At about six o’clock Velchaninov finally entered a restaurant (very dubious, but French) on Nevsky Prospekt, near the Police Bridge…»
75. Intersection with Kazanskaya Street
Velchaninov meets Trusotsky: «he met for the first time, on the street, somewhere at the corner of Podyacheskaya and Meshchanskaya, a gentleman with a crape on his hat». But in real life (today Bolshaya Podyachnaya and Kazanskaya streets) these streets do not intersect!, because they are located on different sides of the Griboyedov Canal.
76. Anichkov Bridge
Andrey Antonovich von Lembke of the novel «Demons» was met by a fellow in the late autumn.
Raskolnikov’s route
As Dostoevsky writes, there were exactly 730 steps from the gates of Raskolnikov’s house to the house of the old moneylender lady. It will turn out just this if you go straight from the gates of Raskolnikov’s house along Grazhdanskaya Ulitsa in the direction of Voznesensky Avenue, then obliquely cross the Voznesensky Bridge and then, along the Griboyedov Canal, to the Srednyaya Pod’yacheskaya Ulitsa to the gate of the old lady’s house = 728 steps.
But, firstly, this router is a path from the first chapter, when Raskolnikov only «went to make a trial of his enterprise».
On the day of the murder, he went to the Kokushkin Bridge along Stolyarny Pereulok, thus he specifically made a detour through Sadovaya Street past Yusupov Garden in order to «approach the house in a detour, from the other side».
Secondly, Rodion’s 730 steps clearly are not the same as the modern 730 steps.
To clarify the length of Rodion’s step, let’s use the paragraph about Sonya: «She was terribly glad that she finally left; she went looking down, hurrying … to walk somehow as quickly as possible these twenty steps before turning right into the street». Now it turns out 29 steps to the corner of the house at the intersection of Grazhdanskaya Ulitsa and Stolyarny Pereulok. According to this proportion (730 * 29 / 20), Raskolnikov’s real path will correspond to 1058 steps.
It remains to determine where he crossed the «ditch» (Griboyedov Canal): by Kokushkin Bridge or by Voznesensky Bridge? Through Kokushkin Bridge it turns out to be 1097 steps, and through Voznesensky Bridge = 1095. This is only two steps closer to the estimated 1058, but since it is very convenient to turn around the corner of Stolyarny Pereulok to the Griboyedov Canal embankment, I consider the path through the Voznesensky Bridge to be correct:
