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Julius Petschek (14 March 1856 – 22 January 1932) was an industrialist of Jewish origin in
Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...
and later in
Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...
. Together with his brother Ignaz, he was one of the wealthiest persons of interwar Czechoslovakia.


Early life

Petschek was born in
Kolín Kolín (; ) is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 33,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument reservations, urban monume ...
. 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 Isidor Petschek (15 March 1854 – 18 June 1919) was a German Bohemian lawyer and entrepreneur. Together with his brother Julius Petschek, he founded the Prague branch of the Petschek business dynasty, which was one of the richest Jewish familie ...
(1854–1919), father of
Otto Petschek Otto Petschek (17 October 1882 – 2 July 1934) was a European industrialist known for building the Petschek Villa in Prague. Early life He was the eldest of four sons of Isidor Petschek and Camilla (née Robitschek) Petschek, who were German sp ...
, and Ignaz Petschek (1857–1934), father of Frank C. Petschek.


Career

He and his brothers Isidor and Ignaz played an important role in the coal industry of the young
Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...
. Their concern controlled also 30% of the German and in total almost 50% of the European
brown coal Lignite (derived from Latin ''lignum'' meaning 'wood'), often referred to as brown coal, is a soft, brown, Combustion, combustible sedimentary rock formed from naturally compressed peat. It has a carbon content around 25–35% and is considered ...
mining Mining is the Resource extraction, extraction of valuable geological materials and minerals from the surface of the Earth. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agriculture, agricultural processes, or feasib ...
industry in the years after World War I. In 1920 Ignaz founded the Petschek Brothers Bank (Bankhaus Petschek & Co.) in
Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...
that was directed by 6 family members including Julius. 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 The Munich Agreement was reached in Munich on 30 September 1938, by Nazi Germany, the United Kingdom, the French Third Republic, French Republic, and the Kingdom of Italy. The agreement provided for the Occupation of Czechoslovakia (1938–194 ...
. Julius is known for commissioning the bank's
Petschek Palace The Petschek Palace ( or ''Pečkárna'') is a Neoclassicism, neoclassicist building in Prague. It was built between 1923 and 1929 by the architect Max Spielmann upon a request from the merchant banker Julius Petschek and was originally called " ...
in Prague that was used by the
Gestapo The (, ), Syllabic abbreviation, abbreviated Gestapo (), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of F ...
in World War II.


Personal life

Julius Petschek died in
Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...
on 22 January 1932 and is buried at the New Jewish Cemetery.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Petschek, Julius 1856 births 1932 deaths People from Kolín Businesspeople from Austria-Hungary Czech Jews Czechoslovak bankers Czechoslovak businesspeople