Zadar's sea organ will soon be joined by another spectacular musical neighbour.
The first wind organ in the world is being constructed on the 144-metre Tovro hill in Rogotin, a town in southern Dalmatia located 57 km south of Makarska and 90 km north of Dubrovnik. Dalmatia's (in)famous northeastern bura, northwestern maestral and southern jugo winds are about to be heard in a whole new way.
The wind organ project, first conceived about ten years ago by engineer Željko Škorić, is currently in its final stages. It's expected to be finished this year. Three structures (one for each type of wind), each with seven 15.5-metre-high pipes, will make up the entire wind organ. The pipes are made of stainless steel, because of its resistance to sea salt, which the winds often carry. Surrounding the organs, which will be reachable by stone path, will be benches made of stone and wood, a patio made with the UNESCO-protected drywall technique, a garden and panoramic binoculars. The entire project was inspired by the beauty and success of Croatia's original unique instrument: the sea organ.
The wind organs are being made by Kvaternik, an organ-making company based in the northern Croatian town of Draganovac. Organs are the largest wind instruments; throughout history they could take years to build. Today, the wind organs' pipes creation took about six months. This exciting project is worth over 14 million kunas (almost 2 million euros). 80% of it is financed by the European Union, and the remaining 20% by the nearby cities of Ploče and Metković.
We await the final results of the wonderful wind organs with anticipation.