Punin was in a civil union with poet Anna Akhmatova during the 1920s and 1930s. Punin and Akhmatova had much in common since the years of their youth, when both were students in Tsarskoye Selo. They had regular meetings since 1913, when both worked with the "Apollon" publishing in St. Petersburg. At that time, Akmatova was married to Nikolay Gumilev, and Punin was a regular guest in their home during the 1910s. In 1922, Akmatova came to visit Punin at his home in the garden wing of the Sheremetyev Palace. She eventually moved in with Punin, and their relationship lasted fifteen years. The home of Punin and Akhmatova was a meeting place for the St. Petersburg's cultural milieu, and later became a museum of Anna Akhmatova.