Monument to the Sun, Solar-powered art installation at waterfront, Zadar, Croatia

The Monument to the Sun is a 22-metre-diameter circle of 300 multi-layered glass plates set flush with the stone paving at the western tip of the Zadar peninsula. Photovoltaic modules beneath the glass absorb sunlight and feed the grid; at night, built-in lights produce a programmed show. A chrome ring around the circle is engraved with the names and feast days of Zadar's church saints.

Designed by architect Nikola Bašić, the installation opened in 2008; marine scientist Maksim Klarin programmed its light show for 50 years from that year. A renovation and upgrade worth 4 million kunas was completed in March 2019. In May 2019 a man smashed panels with a hammer, causing €90,000 of damage.

The chrome ring around the glass plates is engraved with the names of the titular saints of churches on the Zadar Peninsula, each beside its feast day. For every date it also gives the sun's declination, its altitude at the meridian and the length of daylight, prepared with Professor Maksim Klarin of the Zadar Maritime School. The smaller planet plates carry their Croatian names and astronomical symbols.

The installation is openly accessible at ground level and sits directly in the public harbor area where you can walk across it freely. The best time to visit is from dusk onwards, when the lights become visible and create the most interesting visual effect.

The chrome ring around the glass plates is engraved with the names and feast days of all titular saints of churches on the Zadar Peninsula, alongside solar declination, solar altitude and day length for each date. Marine scientist Maksim Klarin of Zadar Maritime School prepared this astronomical data and programmed the light show's start and end times for 50 years from 2008.