Zadar: the organ that plays with the waves

Alfred Hitchcock reportedly called Zadar's sunset the most beautiful in the world: the city also preserves an installation unique in the world that transforms the motion of the waves into music.

The historic center, on a peninsula, can be comfortably visited on foot.

Built in the ninth century by reusing columns and blocks from the nearby Roman Forum, the Church of Saint Donatus ranks among the finest examples of Byzantine architecture on the Adriatic.

Walking along the waterfront, one reaches the Sea Organ, a stone stairway beneath which hidden pipes transform the motion of waves and air into chance musical chords.

A few steps away, the Sun Greeting, a circle of solar panels on the ground, illuminates each evening with light shows synchronized to the rhythm of the city's port traffic.

Toward sunset, the same waterfront fills with residents and tourists awaiting the light and sound show that closes every day, with the sky turning pink above the channel.

No musician truly plays the Marine Organ: the notes emerge randomly from the wind and waves, making every listening session different from the last.

The Sun Salutation accumulates solar energy during the day that it uses to illuminate itself in the evening, also powering part of the waterfront's public lighting.