Dusit palace

Anantasamakhom throne hall , part of the Dusit palace ensemble

Dusit Palace ( Thai : พระราชวัง ดุสิต , RTGS : Phra Ratchawang Dusit ) is an ensemble of various palace buildings in the Bangkok district of Dusit in Thailand .

It was laid out at the beginning of the 20th century by King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) as an alternative to the Grand Palace in the old town ( Phra Nakhon ).

history

Up until the reign of King Chulalongkorn, a large number of buildings were built in the inner area of the Great Palace, so that the area became unbearably hot in the summer days because there was no air circulation. Since the king loved to take long walks outside of Bangkok, he felt increasingly uncomfortable when he spent the summer in the Grand Palace. When he returned from his European trip in 1897, where he had toured the spacious gardens of the European royal houses, he decided to build a garden palace on the outskirts of Bangkok, not far from the city center.

From his royal private treasury he bought several contiguous pieces of farmland and orchards in the area between Khlong Phadung Krung Kasem and Khlong Sam Sen. He named the area Suan Dusit ( สวนดุสิต , "Heavenly Garden"). On February 16, 1898, he inaugurated the new palace grounds by cutting down some trees. In the months that followed, canals were dug, bridges and roads built, and gardens laid out. Some temporary wooden houses were built for the royal family, and in a solemn ceremony on March 1, 1899, the king took his residence in the "Dusit Palace" ( วัง สวนดุสิต , Wang Suan Dusit ).

On December 1, 1899, King Chulalongkorn transferred the German architect C. Sandreczki from the Ministry of Construction to the Ministry of Treasury, which was responsible for the construction of the new palace buildings. Mr. Sandreczki was already responsible for the construction of several buildings in the Grand Palace; he was now to supervise the further construction work together with Prince Naris , the minister of the court. Other foreign architects were hired, including Dalvatore and Da Silva from Italy. In 1890 the construction of the permanent buildings began.

Soon a splendid boulevard was laid out, which connects the Grand Palace and the Dusit Palace: the Thanon Ratchadamnoen ("Royal Processional Way"). It is divided into three sections: an inner (Thanon Ratchadamnoen Nai) seen from the Great Palace towards Dusit, a middle (Thanon Ratchadamnoen Klang) and an outer (Thanon Ratchadamnoen Nok). The Thanon Ratchadamnoen Nai connects the Grand Palace with the Phanphiphop-Lila-Bridge ( สะพาน ผ่าน พิภพ ลีลา ) over the Khlong Lod with a length of 525 and a width of 28 meters . The Thanon Ratchadamnoen Klang then leads in a length of 1200 and a width of 58 meters from the Phanphiphop-Lila-Bridge to the Phanfa-Lilat-Bridge ( สะพาน ผ่าน ฟ้า ลีลาศ ) over the Khlong Phadung Krung Kasem. The Ratchadamnoen Avenue Nok finally, the longest 1,475 meters section, is also 58 meters wide. It leads from the Phanfa Lilat Bridge to the Royal Plaza, a spacious, rectangular square in front of the Anantasamakhom Throne Hall .

King Vajiravudh (Rama VI.) Recognized the importance of the Dusit Palace, and in 1916 named it Phra Ratchawang Dusit . This name is still used today.

investment

Overview map of the facility

Like other Royal Palaces in Siam , the Dusit Palace is divided into three areas: the outer, middle and inner areas. While the areas in the Grand Palace were still clearly separated by walls, landscape architecture was used here : the individual areas are divided by smaller or wider canals ( khlong ) . These canals, the Khlong Mengseng, the Khlong Lamnak, the Khlong Rang Ngoen, the Khlong Khab Phaen Krachok and the Khlong Rom Maihong, were like a network of roads connecting the gardens with the residences of the ladies. All canals flow into the largest canal, the Khlong Ang Yok, which marks the boundary between the Amphon Sathan throne hall, in which the king resided, and the Wimanmek throne hall , the residence of the ladies-in-waiting. A bridge over the Khlong Ang Yok connected the Wimanmek Throne Hall with the Ruen Ton Residence, which consisted of several simple wooden houses in traditional Thai style. There were also connecting roads between the areas, but these led through "outer" and "inner gates".

Attractions

Wimanmek Palace

Phra Thi Nang Wimanmek (Thai: พระที่นั่ง วิมาน เมฆ , German: Wimanmek-Palast , English also: Vimanmek Teak Mansion)
Phra Thi Nang Anantasamakhom ( พระที่นั่ง อนันต สมาคม , Anantasamakhom Throne Hall )
Phra Thi Nang Aphisek Dusit ( พระที่นั่ง อภิ เศ ก ดุสิต , Aphisek Dusit Throne Hall) - now the SUPPORT Museum
Phra Thi Nang Amphon Sathan (พระที่นั่ง อัมพรสถาน , Amphon Sathan Throne Hall)
Phra Thi Nang Udonphak (Udonphak Throne Hall)
Ruen Ton - Ensemble of wooden houses in traditional Thai style, in which King Chulalongkorn used to spend his leisure hours
National Museum of the Royal White Elephants - two houses that originally housed the king's white elephants in the Grand Palace, there are numerous photos and cult objects as well as tusks of deceased elephants in addition to a life-size model of a white elephant. All descriptions are in Thai script.
Other buildings, now used as museums:
- Suan Hong Residence ( พระ ตำหนัก สวน หงส์ ) - Museum of Traditional Royal Ceremonies
- Residence of Prince Woraset Tha-suda ( ตำหนักพระเจ้า บรมวงศ์ เธอ กรม หลวง วร เส ร ฐ สุดา ) - Museum of Ban Chiang Vessels
- Residence of Princess Orathai Thep-kanya ( ตำหนักพระเจ้า บรมวงศ์ เธอ พระองค์เจ้า อร ไทย เทพ กัญญา ) - Textile Museum

literature

Naengnoi Suksri: Palaces of Bangkok: Royal Residences of the Chakri Dynasty . Thames & Hudson Ltd., London 1996, ISBN 978-0-500-97446-9
Clarence Aasen: Architecture of Siam . Oxford University Press 1998, ISBN 983-56-0027-9

Individual evidence

↑ ราชกิจจานุเบกษา แจ้ง ความ เรื่อง สวนดุสิต . In: Royal Gazette . 15, No. 50, March 13, 1899, p. 543.
↑ ประกาศ เรียก วัง สวนดุสิต เป็น พระราชวัง . In: Royal Gazette . 26, No. 0 ง , April 11, 1909, p. 45.
↑ Koompong Noobanjong: Power, Identity, and the Rise of Modern Architecture . Dissertation, October 2003, ISBN 978-1-58112-201-5 . Page 172
↑ พระบรม ราชโองการ ประกาศ ขนาน นาม ประตู พระราชวัง สวนดุสิต . In: Royal Gazette . 33, No. 0 ก , July 10, 1916, p. 113.

Web links

Commons : Dusit Palace - collection of images, videos and audio files

Virtual tour of Dusit Palace (English and Thai, Flash player required)

13.7740455675 100.51245689389Coordinates: 13 ° 46 ′ 26.6 " N , 100 ° 30 ′ 44.8" E

[1] ราชกิจจานุเบกษา แจ้ง ความ เรื่อง สวนดุสิต . In: Royal Gazette . 15, No. 50, March 13, 1899, p. 543.

[2] ประกาศ เรียก วัง สวนดุสิต เป็น พระราชวัง . In: Royal Gazette . 26, No. 0 ง , April 11, 1909, p. 45.

[3] Koompong Noobanjong: Power, Identity, and the Rise of Modern Architecture . Dissertation, October 2003, ISBN 978-1-58112-201-5 . Page 172

[4] พระบรม ราชโองการ ประกาศ ขนาน นาม ประตู พระราชวัง สวนดุสิต . In: Royal Gazette . 33, No. 0 ก , July 10, 1916, p. 113.