The frogs call the tune. In spring, their croaking resounds loudly across the vast area on the outskirts of the small town of Haldensleben. Here, near Magdeburg, is one of the largest dispatch centers in Europe – and a biotope. Inside, around 4,000 people work in the halls, while thousands of animals live outside on the premises, including foxes, beavers, grass snakes, raccoons and a pair of kestrels that like to nest on the fire escape from the high-bay warehouse. The man behind this fusion of industry and nature is Michael Otto. Shortly after the reunification of Germany, the entrepreneur had the center built to handle parcels for the Otto Group. He had more than 600 trees planted around the halls, and canals and a pond were built. He wanted to „integrate the dispatch center into the existing environment,“ says Michael Otto. „It was important to me that the employees could experience a piece of nature.“