Zadar and Northern Dalmatia Feature

In 2005 Zadar was presented with a round-the-clock art installation unlike any other in the world. The first of a series of planned seaside projects aimed at enhancing Zadar's allure as a port of call for cruises, the Sea Organ has quickly become one of the city's key public (and tourist) attractions. It's visited by as many people as visit the city's venerable churches—or more. Comprising 35 polyethylene pipes of varying lengths, diameters, and tilts under the quay along a 230-foot stretch of Zadar's already atmospheric Riva promenade, it provides a never-ending (and ever free) concert that delights and soothes one and all, of all ages.

Designed by architect Nikola Basic with the help of a craftsman from Murter and organ builders from Zagreb, this one-of-a-kind pipe organ sounds a bit like a whale's hushed cooing, but it is in fact the sea itself. Each pipe ends in a whistle that churns out five tones in seven chords, through openings on the quayside above it. This explains all those people—many of whom might otherwise not be inclined to attend ordinary concerts—bending down to place their ears against the concrete, positively entranced. Even when the sea seems otherwise still, the music plays. This is a continuous concert produced by nature itself, in unrepeatable variations. It's hard not to be in awe as the sound of the sea undulates in rhythm and volume with the waves—just wait and listen after a big boat goes by! After a while, sitting there on the simple, elegant stone steps that have been built on the quayside to allow you to savor the experience, you may find yourself wondering why there isn't a sea organ in every coastal city in the world.