Sea Organ

A flight of white marble steps along the western tip of Zadar's peninsula, the Sea Organ is one of the more original pieces of public art in Europe. The steps are hollow underneath; tubes embedded in the masonry carry air pushed up through them by the rising and falling sea. The sound is unmistakable — long, slightly mournful chords, like a church organ tuned by the tide.

It is most affecting at sunset, when the steps fill with people watching the sun drop behind the island of Ugljan and the chords settle into the evening. Sit, listen, drop your feet in the water; this is one of the few city sights you don't get bored with.

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A story
The Sea Organ was designed by the architect Nikola Bašić in 2005 as part of a redevelopment of the war-damaged Zadar waterfront. It uses 35 organ pipes embedded under the marble steps, tuned to the C major scale and to two specific musical chords. Each set of waves pushes a different combination of air through the pipes, so the music — like the sea — never repeats.