Modern Landmarks
Sea Organ & Greeting to the Sun
Zadar · Northern Dalmatia
QUICK INFORMATION
- CATEGORY
- Modern Landmarks
- COUNTRY
- Croatia
- REGION
- Zadar · Northern Dalmatia
- DURATION
- 1–2 days
ABOUT THIS ATTRACTION
At the tip of the Zadar peninsula, architect Nikola Bašić turned a bombed-out waterfront into the city’s most beloved place: the Sea Organ (2005), seventy metres of marble steps with 35 pipes of different lengths beneath, played by the waves themselves in a never-repeating chord; and beside it the Greeting to the Sun (2008), a 22-metre circle of 300 multilayered glass solar panels that drinks the daylight and performs a light show after dusk. Together with the sunset Alfred Hitchcock called the most beautiful in the world, they are the modern identity of this ancient city.
HISTORY & BACKGROUND
The story behind it
The waterfront was rebuilt after the Second World War damage and the 1991 shelling; Bašić’s Sea Organ opened in April 2005 — the first instrument of its kind in the world — and the Greeting to the Sun followed in 2008. Both won international awards and turned the western quay into the social heart of the city: locals and visitors sit on the steps for hours at dusk.
WHAT TO SEE
What to see here
The marble steps and the wave-played pipes of the Sea Organ.
The evening light show of the Greeting to the Sun.
The sunset over the Adriatic channels.
GOOD TO KNOW
Facts & Curiosities
The Sea Organ (2005) is the first sea-played musical instrument in the world — 35 pipes under 70 metres of steps.
The Greeting to the Sun (2008) is a 22-metre circle of 300 solar glass panels; its light show runs every evening after dusk.
Alfred Hitchcock declared the Zadar sunset the most beautiful in the world after visiting in 1964.
Both installations are free and open around the clock — the city’s social gathering point at dusk.
WHY IT MATTERS
Why it matters
It is the most original waterfront in Croatia — ancient city, modern sound, and the famous sunset in one place.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Before you go
THROUGH THE LENS
From the road
MAP & LOCATION
Sea Organ & Greeting to the Sun
Sea Organ & Greeting to the Sun, Zadar, Northern Dalmatia, Croatia
44.1189, 15.2253
MORE ATTRACTIONS
More to see in Zadar
FOOD & DRINK
Where to eat nearby
Konobas of the old peninsula — Dalmatian fish plates
Marinko and Foša — classic waterfront tables
HOTELS & STAYS
Where to stay nearby
Hotels on the waterfront promenade
Guesthouses inside the old-town peninsula
NEARBY DESTINATIONS
Continue the journey
ROUTES
Routes through here
Velebit Coastline Ride — Senj to Zadar via Karlobag and the Vratnik Pass
The wildest stretch of the Adriatic Highway under the Velebit wall — Zavratnica, the Vratnik pass viewpoint, Karlobag and the long starlit run to Zadar.
147 km · 3 h · moderate
VIEW ROUTECentral Dalmatia Ride — Zadar to Split via Šibenik and Trogir
The classic Adriatic Highway run through Central Dalmatia — two UNESCO towns, the Šibenik channel, coastal bridges and the long seafront approach to Split.
169 km · 3.5 h · moderate
VIEW ROUTEPART OF
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