Sea organ

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For the similar device in San Francisco, California, see Wave Organ.

Sea organ in scaled form - the sound emerges from the holes along the top step - Courtesy of Toni Perinić

Girl is sitting on stone step of Sea organ, behind is cruiser Columbus which is leaving

The Sea organ is a somewhat peculiar architectural object located in Zadar, Croatia which plays music by way of sea waves and tubes located underneath a set of large marble steps. The waves create somewhat random but harmonic sounds.

The device was made by the architect Nikola Bašić as part of the project to redesign the old city coast (riva), and the site was opened to the public on April 15, 2005.

The Sea Organ successfully brought to life the far end of the Nova Riva, drawing tourists and locals alike. It is now a center for gathering, a good destination on a walk through town, and also a great place to enjoy Zadar's exceptional sunset.

Thanks to the Sea Organ project, the inhabitants of Zadar have been restored once more to their relation with the sea. Chaotic reconstruction work undertaken in an attempt to repair the devastation Zadar suffered in the Second World War turned much of the sea front into an unbroken, monotonous concrete wall. Now, this project sees the construction of white marble steps leading down to the water. Concealed under these steps, which both protect and invite, is a system of polyethylene tubes and a resonating cavity that turns the site into a huge musical instrument, played by the wind and the sea.

[edit] Listen

The sound of the Zadar sea organ (file info)
- This is a 320kb Ogg recording of the sea organ, made by Toni Perinić
- Problems listening to the file? See media help.