Zadar and the Sea Organ

Greetings to the Sun solar art (left) and Sea Organ (right)
photo credit: zadar travel (couldn't fly our own drone with the wind)

It sounds like a fairy tale, a magical musical instrument played entirely by the sea. It was brought to life the other day as we sailed by, on our way into the anchorage. The soft whimsical notes drifted out to us and we all fell silent as we enjoyed the melody.

Upon dropping the hook, we went ashore to check it out from land. It truly is a lovely place, sitting in the sun while enjoying the music. Kids jump around on the steps, swimmers splash in the sea, and sunbathers lay out to soak up the sun.

The sea organ is comprised of what looks like steps leading down to the water. It's the clever engineering underneath those steps where the magic takes place. The lower steps allow air and water to flow inside. That water and air is then funneled into resonant chambers under the steps, and pushed out through the channels on the upper stairs. These cause the undulating, wind-chime like notes to be produced. As the sea is always in motion, the organ notes never sound the same, each note completely unique.

The stairs extend for about 70 meters (approximately 210 feet) along the coast. There are 35 pipes of different lengths, diameters, and angles, which were built vertically into the coastline and these slant upwards towards the pavement on shore, ending in a canal. Built into the pipes are whistles (also called labiums) which play 7 chords of 5 tones. Above the canal, there are perforated stone stairs through which the sound escapes as the sea pushes the air outwards. 

It was an idea brought to life by architect Nikola Basic, along with the assistance of a few experts in the field of music and engineering, and is now one of the hottest tourist spots in Croatia.

Our crew playing on the lights.

At night, the place takes on an entirely different atmosphere. Near the Sea Organ, is a solar panel art installation known as Greetings to the Sun. It soaks up the sun's power throughout the day and then puts on a color-changing light show at night. While it was beyond the kids' usual bedtime (sun sets around 9pm here), we went ashore for the sunset and to see this beautiful light show in action. It is an evening we won't forget! Being Friday night, there was an arts and crafts fair, musician stands everywhere, street corn, cotton candy, and other tasty treat vendors, and hundreds of families out to enjoy the evening. Our kids joined in playing with the locals, dancing on the rainbow circle of light, playing tag, and stopping only to eat ice cream before rejoining the games.

I think this is our most favorite place in Croatia, besides the Krka Waterfalls and National Park.