From 1776 onwards, Goethe was often a guest of August Friedrich Carl von Ziegesar, a minister in the services of Gotha and advisor to Duke Carl August of Saxe-Weimar. In 1802, he also met Ziegesar's youngest daughter, Sylvie (1785 - 1855), in Jena. Subsequently, the two exchanged letters, and Goethe later became the godfather of her first child. The character Ottilie from his novel "Elective Affinities" is said to be inspired by Sylvie. "Germany's most famous librarian," Paul Raabe, has collected all documents related to this little-known friendship and accompanied them with an essay. The texts, first published in 1961, are now finally made accessible again by the Insel-Bücherei.