Rattanakosin

Now the central building of the National Museum, the Front Palace used to be an enormous complex stretching from the Chao Phraya River across Sanam Luang to Lot Canal. It was built in the 18th-century, along with the Grand Palace. The Front Palace housed the heir to the throne, who was appointed by the King; usually a son or brother of the reigning monarch who bare the title "Second King" or "Vice-King". The title of Second King started in the Ayutthaya Period, but gained a significant amount of power during the Rattanakosin Period when the Second King even got its own private army and navy. This large amount of power often led to conflicts between the King and the Second King. The last to bare the title of Second King was Prince Vichaichan. In 1884, he got into a power struggle with King Rama V in an event known as the Front Palace crisis. King Rama V tried to modernise Siam in a rapid pace, and conservative forces and the nobility, including Prince Vichaichan, saw their power and influence being slowly eroded. When Prince Vichaichan got a letter threatening his life, he mobilised up to 600 of his private troops around his palace. The King also mobilised his troops, but this only underlined that the Second King's guards were more numerous and better equipped. After an explosion, a mysterious fire broke out in the Grand Palace, threatening Wat Phra Kaeo, and the Second King's troops got on their way to the Grand Palace to try to extinguish it; however this was blocked by the King's Royal Guards who feared that the fire was orchestrated by the Second King to take over the country. Afterwards King Rama V criticised the Second King for not moving all his troops to the Grand Palace, as an ancient custom dictated that the Second King's troops must actively protect the King and the Grand Palace in an emergency. King Rama V ordered his troops to surround the Front Palace, and Prince Vichaichan fled to the British embassy. After mediation, the powerful Western countries supported King Rama V, who abolished the title and introduced the Western-style "Crown Prince of Siam" for the heir apparent. Prince Vichaichan died one year later. The palace was turned into the National Museum's main building housing Thai art objects. Some walled remains of the old Front Palace complex can be found inside the Thammasat University complex.

Just outside of the Grand Palace, Wang Tha Phra Palace is now a part of Silpakorn University, where many artists started their career in the arts and humanities. In August 2010, Tha Phra Palace celebrated its 200th anniversary since its founding, and many home-grown artists were invited to make a painting about it. King Rama I built the palace for his nephew Prince Kasattiyanuchit, and since then, it has been a residence of many high-ranked princes, including King Rama III who lived here when he still was still known as Prince Krommuen Jesadabodin. The last prince to live here was Prince Naris, who moved out in 1934 when the palace was turned into an art school. The palace is a combination of Thai and European-style buildings. Just walking around the campus is a fun activity, as usually there are some art projects by students going on. 50 baht gets you into the library, which has plenty of English-language books about the Grand Palace, art, culture, religion, architecture and travel. Also in the Wang Tha Phra compound are the Silpa Bhirasri National Museum and the Art Centre Silpakorn University.

This used to be the location of the Bangkok Remand Prison, an old and overcrowded prison. Most of it has been torn down and turned into a public park, but three blocks, a cellblock, a side of the prison wall and two watchtowers were preserved and turned into a museum. This museum displays some of the most sadistic punishments imaginable, and these were actually carried out to offenders not that long ago. The museum can only be visited after making an appointment, but some punishment instruments can be seen from the public park outside, so you don't necessarily need to enter the museum.

The building is designed by the French-Swiss architect Charles Beguelin in 1906 in a neo-classical style that popular with King Rama VI and King Rama VII. It was renovated by the King Prajadhipok Institute to serve as a museum exhibiting a rare collection of King Rama VII's personal belongings, including photographs, documents and his biography. King Rama VII ruled in a turbulent time of Thailand's history; he was the last King who enjoyed absolute monarchy, as well as the first King under a constitutional monarchy. Significant events and stories relating to King Rama VII are exhibited, including his succession to the throne, royal activities, political reform, promulgation of the constitution, royal utensils and memorabilia, as well as his life after abdication and death in the United Kingdom. The demolished Sala Chaloem Krung Theatre that used to stand in the nearby area is imitated with old films being projected.

The renovated European-style mansion of the Ministry of Commerce of Thailand has been turned in good use. It now is the Museum of Siam, a permanent exhibition about the history of the Thai nation, its culture and its interaction with other nations and cultures. As with all the new museums in town, it's a so-called "discovery museum", in which visitors can play and interact with the objects shown. It is a lot fun, for children and adults alike, and informative at a superficial level. First you watch a subtitled short film about Thai-foreign interaction, with some Thai inside jokes about foreigners. Then you'll walk through several historically-themed rooms, starting in prehistory and ending in the modern age. Make sure your camera is charged and its memory unit empty, as there are many photo opportunities. You can sit in a tuk-tuk, prepare fake Thai food, bomb medieval armies, wear colonial-age clothing, present a news programme and sit in a 50s-style diner.

The National Museum took over the Front Palace grounds, a former royal palace built in the 18th century just like the Grand Palace. The grounds are attractive in parts, but a bit sprawling and difficult to navigate. The permanent exhibits are a mixed bag — there are some terrific new displays and dioramas on Thai history, but many other buildings are dusty collections of artifacts without much by way of explanation. A good way to cope with this is by taking the free guided tour in English (and German, French, Japanese), held on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 09:30. Allow a full afternoon to see this one as it is fairly large.

This museum is dedicated to the "father of modern art" of Thailand, the Italian professor Corrado Feroci. He founded Silpakorn University, the best art and humanities school of Thailand. Many of his works are on display throughout the city, including the Democracy Monument and the statues of King Taksin, King Rama I and King Rama VI. This museum is in the building where he lived and made his designs.

The exhibitions on show here are created by art students, teachers and university artists from Silpakorn University, the country's first art school. The exhibitions change often, and the only way to find out what's on is by walking in. Sometimes the art centre is closed when the building is used for university meetings and summits.

Housed in the former Royal Thai Mint, it is fairly small and compact. Obviously a matter of taste, the permanent displays could be described as quite unimpressive, but the ever-changing modern art exhibitions can be considerably more appealing for foreigners. Oil paintings by the King are also exhibited here.

This privately funded gallery was established after the request of HM Queen Sirikit who wanted a permanent venue for the exhibition of Thai arts. The gallery has four floors of contemporary and modern arts, including paintings, sculptures, audiovisual arts and even furniture arts, most of them created by students. Many paintings use elements of traditional Thai life and religion and place them in a contemporary setting. Taking pictures without using the flash is allowed. There is also a reading room and a café.

This park opened in December 2010 beside Tha Tien Pier and the Chao Phraya River. It is quite small, but the cool river breeze makes it a nice park for taking a well-deserved rest after strolling through Rattanakosin. There is not a lot of shade, so better avoid this park when the sun strength is at its highest. A short concrete promenade gives a stunning view of Wat Arun, which is right at the other side of the river. You can make beautiful pictures of the temple during sunrise or sunset, when it changes colours.

This public park is built on the old prison grounds of the Bangkok Remand Prison near Wat Suthat. Three blocks, a cellblock, a side of the prison wall and two watchtowers were preserved and turned into a museum, the Corrections Museum, which is at the southeastern corner of the park. The park features many fountains, some basketball courts, a playground and a weight lifting area.

When Rattanakosin was established as Siam's capital, King Rama I designed this vast open field between the northern wall of the Grand Palace and the eastern wall of the former Wang Na Palace. At that time, the ground was a rice field sometimes used for royal crematoria. The ground was called "Thung Phra Men", which means crematorium ground in Thai. Considering that name was inauspicious, King Rama IV renamed the ground "Thong Sanam Luang", or the royal ground, and all rice farming there was ceased. Later, King Rama V had Wang Na's eastern wall demolished and enlarged Sanam Luang to its current size. The place has been used as the crematorium ground for kings, members of the royal family and nobility, in addition to being a royal sporting ground. 365 tamarind trees are placed around it. Sanam Luang is Bangkok's equivalent of a 'speaker's corner' where the people get together to talk politics. In recent history, the ground has been used for political rallies and demonstrations, such as the yellow and red shirt protests in the late 2000s. At December 5th, the birthday of HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej, literally a million people come here to celebrate his birthday. Every night, a flea market is held on the streets surrounding it.

This park was created as a royal garden in the Saranrom Palace, built in 1866 by King Rama IV. He wanted to use it after he stepped down as a monarch, but died before it was completed. When King Rama V took over, he gave the palace to his younger brothers, and turned the park into a zoo. When he built the Dusit Palace in the early 20th century, he moved all the animals to the Dusit Zoo. The park then became a property of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, before being turned into a public park in 1960. The basic layout still resembles its design by King Rama IV. It is a lush garden created around a lake, home to glasshouses, ancient trees and wooden pagodas. A great place to relax and escape the heat. After work, many locals run around the paths for exercise or do aerobics on (very) loud music. There's also a table tennis table and always someone who wants to play. At the south end of the park is a marble monument dedicated to HM Queen Sunantha Kumareerat and HRH Prince Kannaporn Phetcharat, who died in a boating accident during the reign of King Rama V.

You might stumble across a tree on a pedestal when walking from Phra Chan Market to Thammasat University. Why is this tree placed on a pedestal and decorated with garlands? Well, the tree has been linked with Thailand's struggle for democracy and the role Thammasat University has played here. The Bodhi Court is the birthplace of the 8 October 1973 student movement that grew into mass demonstrations for democracy and a new constitution. The students protested against the military junta and insisted on the release of 13 people that had been arrested for demanding a national charter. The number of protesters swelled to the hundreds of thousands and were relocated to the university's football field. On 13 October 1973 this large group of people started to move onto the streets. The following day, the government violently suppressed this mass demonstration, a key event in Thai modern history and the reason why the October 14 Memorial was erected near Khao San Road. On 4 October 1976, the Bodhi Court was the stage of an open-air stage performance that mocked the political culture of that time. When these parodies took hold of the newspapers' headlines on 6 October, the military junta violently attacked the student groups for being defamatory to the royal family. In 1991, a military coup d'état followed and a constitution was drafted that basically maintained the status quo. Students again gathered at the Bodhi Court to protest against the junta. After the 1992 general elections, the opposition to the junta gathered at the Bodhi Court, starting demonstrations that would evolve into more than 200,000 participants. The junta again cracked down in an event known as the Black May Massacre, but eventually all protesters were freed and the junta stepped down in favour of democracy. An important tree, indeed.

According to an old Thai tradition, a city pillar has to be built upon the establishment of a new city, to provide a home for guardian spirits. King Rama I had the Bangkok city pillar erected near Wat Phra Kaeo on April 21, 1782, an astrologically determined date for the auspicious founding of Bangkok. The city pillar includes the city's horoscope inside. Every town in Thailand has a similar city pillar shrine, so there are thousands of these all across the country. The original pillar was carved out of cassia wood, measuring 75 cm thick and 27 cm high. In the reign of King Rama IV, the old dilapidated pillar was replaced by a new one that measures 270 cm in height with a wide base of 175 cm. At that time it was placed in the prang-shaped shrine as seen today. Thonburi was merged into Bangkok in 1972, and its city pillar has been incorporated in the shrine. Hundreds of locals pray and place flowers here every day, as they believe the shrine has the power to bring good luck. Traditional dance ceremonies are often held, paid by wealthy families that saw their wishes granted.

This monument dedicated to King Rama III was built by the Fine Arts Department in 1990. The bronze statue, half larger than life size, is seated on a throne. The surrounding area has been turned into a beautiful square decorated with beautiful plants, the Royal Reception Pavilion and three minor pavilions known as Sala Rai, as well as a nice view on Wat Ratchanaddaram. At night this square is beautifully illuminated.

Mae Toranee is the earth goddess, a deity in Thai Buddhism that is shown wringing water from her ponytail. The statue shows a legend often drawn on the murals of temples. While the Buddha was meditating in a crucial stage of Enlightenment, the evil demon Mara sent out a bunch of earthly temptations and demons to divert him from his path. The Buddha was determined to continue and remained cross-legged. He pointed his right hand towards the ground, calling out the earth goddess. Mae Toranee obliged and wrung her hair, sending a massive gulf of water to wipe out Mara's demons.

Mahakan Fort is one of only two remaining forts of Rattanakosin's outer city walls, the other being Phra Sumen Fort near Khao San Road. Mahakan Fort is on the banks of Rop Muang Canal, and a part of the former ring of forts that defended Rattanakosin Island from invasions from the east. It was built during the reign of King Rama I. What makes this fort unique compared to Phra Sumen Fort is that a part of the old city wall is still intact; it runs about 200 metres south along Maha Chai Road. An almost a century old community lives in shanties between the old city wall and the canal, but the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has been trying to turn it into a public park for tourists (as was done around Phra Sumen Fort). After a 14-year legal dispute, it seems like a compromise has been reached where some houses of the old community will stay and be turned into museums.

This is a monument to the Thai expeditionary force that fought in European battlefields during World War I. After war broke out in 1914, Thailand had remained neutral for about three years. When the United States declared war on Germany in April 1917, King Rama VI still waited on the sidelines. Thailand had good relations with Germany, although eventually King Rama VI joined the Allies by declaring war on Germany and sent a militia of 1,284 volunteers to Europe on 20 June 1918. King Rama IV said that joining the Allies "would be an excellent opportunity for us to gain equality with other nations". Thailand had lost land to France and the United Kingdom and had to accept the imposition of extraterritorial rights for the citizens of these nations. By joining the war with the Allies, he hoped that they would be more flexible in amending those treaties in future. The expeditionary force returned to Thailand on 21 September 1919 and the ashes of the dead veterans were taken to be enshrined here three days later. The names of 19 soldiers killed in the Western Front have been inscribed.

Designed by Prince Naris, this golden pig statue was created in 1913 at the 50th birthday anniversary of Queen Phatcharinthra, one of King Rama V's wives, who was born in the Chinese year of the pig. In Thai it is also known as the Saha Chat Memorial (อนุสาวรีย์สำหรับผู้ที่เกิดในปีกุน), that means "the memorial of those born in the year of the pig". It refers to three royal donors that were born in the same year as her. Generally, the memorial is decorated with colourful garlands and flowers, and locals come here to pray and show respect.

A good way to combine relaxation and understanding Thai culture is by taking a traditional Thai massage inside the Wat Pho temple compound. Thai massage is considered a medical discipline in Thailand, used for the treatment of many kinds of illnesses. The massages are given in the dilapidated buildings at the east of the northern compound. Take a two-hour Thai massage for best results, or try a foot, oil or facial massage.

You might want to attend the National Theatre, where you can watch a classical performance or traditional dance (such as a khon dance). Don't expect an English language production though, as most shows are set up for the locals. Don't forget to get your hand on the programme first, as it will give a synopsis of what the play is about. Also stand up when the national anthem begins.

When the locals want entertainment, they head to the stadium for some Thai boxing. Or Muay Thai, as the Thais call it. It is very expensive though, expect to pay 1,000 baht for an outer-ring seat, 1,500 baht for a middle-ring seat and 2,000 baht for ringside seats. Thais chip in for 230 baht. A match includes eight fights with a maximum of five rounds each, so free some time in your schedule. The area around the stadium has some of the best places to get Isaan food, as television host Anthony Bourdain showed in an episode of his programme "No Reservations".