Alternate names: Opatija [Croa], Abbazia [Ital], Sankt Jakobi [Ger], Abacija, Opatijo. 45°20' N, 14°19' E, on the Adriatic Sea, 5 miles WSW of Rijeka (Fiume). Jewish population: 100 (in 1930).
- Encyclopedia of Jewish Life (2001), p. 937: "Opatija".
Opatija in western Croatia on the Adriatic coast is situated in the Gulf of Kvarner. A popular summer and winter resort, the lungomare is a 12 km-long promenade along the entire riviera. Opatija has the longest tourist tradition on the eastern coast of the Adriatic. Opatija online with history with photos and tourism information. ""Escaping Vienna's winter chill, the Hapsburg nobility of the Austro-Hungarian Empire set the fashion more then 160 years ago. Drawn by the mild microclimate, Opatija's glittering guest list included crowned heads, composers, novelists, and other celebrities of the day. They flocked here to take in the sea air, revive their health in hot baths, cold baths, and the sanatorium; and to dance or gamble until dawn. Other distinguished visitors included Chekhov, Puccini, and Gustav Mahler - who came to convalesce here after a case of tonsillitis. James Joyce regularly took tea on the Hotel Imperial's terrace. Isadora Duncan danced to the swaying fronds of a palm tree outside her balcony in the Villa Amalia, an annex of today's Hotel Kvarner. ... Opatija retains an air of dowager duchess opulence: grand hotels with crystal chandelier ballrooms; Viennese-style pastries slathered in cream; visitors sporting old-fashioned finery. Its beauty and elegance are passed on to each guest, and many tourists keep returning every year for the rest of their lives, claiming that they simply feel wonderful in this place of elegance, wellness and natural beauty." Photos of the town. More photos. [February 2009]
Synagogue was built in 1926, abandoned in 1943, and sold in 1950. Jewish Community established in 1906, ended in 1943. Jewish Population: 1931- 80; 1937/38-81; 1947-34; 1994-7 [1999]
Cemetery: Established in 1908, the site has 76 monuments and a monument to Jewish victims of Holocaust. Source: Srdjan Matic, MD, 40 West 95th Street, Apt. 1-B, New York, NY 10025. (212) 222-7783.[1999]
Photos courtesy This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. [July 2014]
[UPDATE] History of Jewish Cemetery in Opatija [May 2015]