| A very short drive of 60 kilometers (40 miles) north of
Bangkok along the banks of the Chaopraya River will bring you to Bang Pa
In, summer palace of the kings of Thailand. The palace dates back to the
17th century, pre-dating the establishment of Bangkok as the capitol, although
it did fall into disuse for a long period. All the buildings you see date
from its revival by King Mongkut (Rama IV) in the 19th century. Today, the
palace is only used infrequently, and then mostly for state occasions rather
than as a royal summer residence.
The palace is very European in design. The buildings are laid out along
an artificial ornamental pond. In what was formerly the public area of
the palace, the lake is a long rectangular pool, lines with formal plantings
and the odd folly. The most obvious of the ornaments is a modern copy
of a Khmer style prang.
At the end of this formal entry promenade the pond take on a more natural
shape. In this pond you see what has become the "signature piece"
of Bang Pa In. It is an elegant Thai-style pavilion in the middle of a pond
shown above right, with the rather daunting title of "The divine seat
of personal freedom." It is really the only example of classical Thai
architecture within the palace and was built by King Chulalongkorn (Rama
V). It now houses a statue of him. The pond also serves to divide the "public"
outer area of the palace from the inner private areas.
Chinese throne hall.
Within the inner palace are several buildings in various styles. The main
residence is a modern reconstruction of the original building. Although
the original building was said to be in the style of a Swiss Chalet, the
modern building has a more "Paris Metro" art-deco feel to it.
Note that the building, still occassionally used by the royal family,
is not open to the public.
Perhaps the most interesting building in the inner complex, and the only
one open to the public, is the Chinese style residence built in China
and gifted to King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce
in 1889. You must remove your shoes to enter and enjoy the ebony and red
lacquer interior.
Bang Pa In is one of three royal palaces featured at the Virtual Thai
Palaces web site. This site, sponsored by the Royal Thai Household, is
one of the most interesting Thai web sites. It requires some common plug-ins
to view the 360-degree images, but they're easy to obtain and well worth
it.
Neighborhood : Outside Bangkok (Ayutthaya)
Open : 08.30 to 15.30 hrs.
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