In the coastal city of Zadar, Croatia, a series of large marble steps
descend into the Adriatic Sea. Pedestrians can stroll across the 230-foot
sea-organ harnesses the energy of the winds and waters of the sea to create
random but soothing and harmonized notes. The
sea-organ, or “morske orgulje” as it’s know in Croatian, was designed by
Croatian architect Nikola Basic and opened to the public in 2005.
Water and
wind enter through holes at the bottom of the steps, where they are channeled
into resonating chambers. The sounds from these chambers exit through holes
along the highest steps. Each of the pipes is tuned to different musical
chords. The sea and the wind blow air through the pipes, which comes out
through whistle openings on the sidewalk.
Producing
sounds a lot like those of a whale, the sea organ has become a popular lunch
spot for locals and tourists since it was built in 2005, a calming place at
which to appreciate the majesty of nature. The organ is a significant
improvement to the Zadar coastline in Croatia, which was previously a long line
of concrete having been bombed during World War II.
