The Ekaterininsky chanel. A view of the Nikolsky market. The market was in the area which was the setting for the events in Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment. In 1788-89 a big market building and warehouses were built there to which goods were brought by way of the Fontanka river and the Ekaterininsky chanel. It was a food market and, at the same time, an employment agency for people who worked on daily or seasonal contracts, and also for coachmen (izvozshiks).