The Sea Organ of Zadar
Stone steps on a Croatian waterfront play music day and night, with the waves as the musician.
What was reported
Along the seafront promenade in Zadar, on Croatia's Adriatic coast, wide marble steps lead down into the sea. Beneath them are 35 pipes of different lengths. As waves push air through the pipes, the steps sound soft, random chords that rise and fall with the sea.
It was designed by the architect Nikola Bašić and opened in 2005. It never plays the same music twice.
Explanations offered
It's a designed instrument, not a natural mystery: the pipes are tuned to chords and the sea supplies the breath. Its strange, never-ending sound is often compared to whale song, or to a giant breathing.
- When
- Opened in 2005
- Where
- Zadar, Croatia
- Witnesses
- People on the waterfront
- Status
- Explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.