Information
Landmark: Greeting to the SunCity: Zadar
Country: Croatia
Continent: Europe
Greeting to the Sun, Zadar, Croatia, Europe
Overview
Greeting to the Sun (Pozdrav Suncu) is a dazzling solar-powered art piece set right on Zadar’s waterfront, where glass panels soak up the daylight and shimmer as evening falls.Croatian architect Nikola Bašić designed it as a tribute to the Sun, capturing the quiet pull between Earth and the vast, starlit cosmos.Together with the nearby Sea Organ, it creates a seamless mix of art, technology, and nature, drawing visitors in from the bright midday glare to the soft glow of evening.Perched at the very tip of the Zadar Peninsula beside the bustling promenade, the installation offers sweeping views of the Adriatic and its scattered islands; the Greeting to the Sun itself is a perfect circle of 300 layered glass plates set flush into the stone pavement, glinting when the light hits.At 22 meters across, it stands out along Zadar’s waterfront, a striking landmark Nikola Bašić created in 2008 to accompany his earlier work, the Sea Organ.The Sea Organ channels the music of wind and waves, while the Greeting to the Sun turns the Sun’s raw power into a dazzling light display.Beneath its glass plates, solar panels soak up daylight hour after hour.These panels soak up the sun by day, then after sunset, they use that stored energy to set hundreds of tiny LEDs blazing in shifting patterns of color.The lights shift in flowing patterns, echoing the dance of planets, stars, and distant moons, like a slow ripple across dark water.The whole installation mirrors the solar system itself.Small circles orbiting the central disc stand in for the planets, their paths etched like delicate rings of light, giving the piece both an educational and astronomical touch.The Greeting to the Sun honors the Sun’s life-giving role, a steady source of warmth and light for Earth.Powered by renewable energy, it quietly champions sustainability and invites people to imagine the possibilities of solar power.Over time, it’s also become a modern emblem of Zadar, where old traditions meet bold, contemporary design.It’s also helped cement Zadar’s reputation as a hotspot for bold public art.By day, the glass surface catches the sun and mirrors the sea and sky, casting a quiet, reflective mood over the space.Visitors wander across the platform, sometimes pausing to chat or lean against the rail.After sunset, the whole installation glows and shifts in color, casting ripples of light across the dark.As the sun slips toward the horizon, Zadar’s famous golden-and-rose sky sets the perfect stage for the shimmering colors of the Greeting to the Sun, while the gentle, wave-born notes of the nearby Sea Organ drift through the air; people of all ages wander across the glowing panels, pause to snap photos, and linger along the lively Riva Promenade, where cafés spill light onto the walkway, knowing that the solar energy beneath their feet powers not just the display but the city itself-a fitting tribute to a landmark that mirrors the motions of the stars and has earned global acclaim.Get there about an hour before sunset and you can watch the sky shift from gold to deep blue before the lights begin their dance.As night settles in, each color glows brighter against the dark, turning the square into something close to magic.The Greeting to the Sun blends sustainability, technology, and imagination into a brilliant tribute to the Sun’s beauty and strength.Paired with the Sea Organ, it creates an experience you won’t forget-gentle waves hum through stone steps, embodying Zadar’s blend of inventive spirit and stunning coastline.Day or night, you’ve got to see the Greeting to the Sun-its glass panels sparkle like waves under the Adriatic sun, making it an unmissable stop along the coast.
