Julius Petschek

Julius Petschek (14 March 1856 – 22 January 1932) was an industrialist of Jewish origin in Austria-Hungary and later in Czechoslovakia. Together with his brother Ignaz, he was one of the wealthiest persons of interwar Czechoslovakia.

Petschek was born in Kolín. He was a younger son of Moses Petschek (1822–1888) and Sara (née Wiener) Petschek (1827–1894). He had a sister, Rosa Petschek (1855-1934), and two brothers, Isidor Petschek (1854–1919), father of Otto Petschek,^[1] and Ignaz Petschek (1857–1934), father of Frank C. Petschek.^[2]

He and his brothers Isidor and Ignaz played an important role in the coal industry of the young Czechoslovakia.^[3] Their concern controlled also 30% of the German and in total almost 50% of the European brown coal mining industry in the years after World War I.^[4]

In 1920 Ignaz founded the Petschek Brothers Bank (Bankhaus Petschek & Co.) in Prague that was directed by 6 family members including Julius.^[3] After he died in 1932 his son Walter and Isador's son Hans ran the company until 1938 when they moved to New York as a consequence of the Munich Agreement. Julius is known for commissioning the bank's Petschek Palace in Prague that was used by the Gestapo in World War II.^[5]

Julius Petschek died in Prague on 22 January 1932 and is buried at the New Jewish Cemetery.^[5]