In Leo Tolstoy's house in Yasnaya Polyana, a elm tree grew throughout his life. This tree outlived the writer by 60 years. The elm witnessed many events occurring at the entrance to the house. Under its branches, Tolstoy held conversations with Gorky, Repin, and other prominent figures of his time. Here, in the mornings, he was awaited by peasants, petitioners, the sick, the poor asking for alms, readers and admirers for books, and wandering pilgrims. One of the guests called the elm 'the tree of the poor.'

A bell was attached to the tree, which summoned family members and guests to the table. The senior staff of the museum still remember this elm and the bell, which fell silent forever after Leo Nikolaevich's death and gradually grew into the tree. During the museum period, the 'tree of the poor' grew so much that its branches almost completely covered the roof of the house. Dry leaves rotted on the roof, and during storms and bad weather, the branches struck the roof, sometimes puncturing the metal, causing the house to leak.

However, nothing lasts forever: under the influence of time and technological impacts, air pollution, the mighty tree began to suffer and wither. In the 1960s, a chemical plant built nearby brought many problems to the museum. Many living things perished in Yasnaya Polyana, and the mighty old elm could not withstand it.