Behind the music college, behind a high iron fence, there is a ginkgo tree that is protected as a natural monument. Goethe himself is said to have planted it. When evening falls in Weimar, the shops are closed and the tourists are having dinner, an astonishing, educated middle-class charade is performed. Middle-aged ladies and gentlemen gather under the tree and search the ground for fallen ginkgo leaves, which are sparse. You can faintly hear the multi-voiced slogan "the leaf of this tree, entrusted to my garden from the east, gives a taste of secret meaning, which edifies those who know..." This legitimizes the higher cultural interest that takes precedence over the preservation of natural monuments, which also allows the good senior teacher to grab leaves on the tree in the setting dusk in the circle of cultural conspirators. Since the tree has been pretty much grazed by the educated middle class, the offspring, who have been brought along as a precautionary measure for educational purposes, happily help out, and can use this opportunity to get their first taste of Goethe and a feeling of cultural belonging. Of course, the spoils are generously shared among the legitimate attendees.