The main character of the book "Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk District," Yekaterina Izmaylova, is a fictional character and a composite image, while the plot of the work is only loosely connected to the real historical Mtsensk. In reality, the events could have taken place in any other county town in central Russia.

However, the connection between the work and Mtsensk turned out to be so strong that among the local attractions, a house appeared where, according to legend, a merchant's wife who became a cold-blooded murderer could have lived. This baroque-style building has been named "Lady Macbeth's House" by the locals.

The actual owners of the house were the Pchelkina merchant family, but due to popular rumor, it became associated with Leskov's heroine and entered the mandatory program of tourist routes and excursions in the city. Today, this building houses the main police station.