Siam Society

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Entrance to the Siam Society
Siam Society Auditorium

The Siam Society ( Thai สยาม สมาคม , pronunciation: [ sàʔjăːm sàʔmă: kʰom ] - Siam Society ) is a society in Thailand that has set itself the goal of preserving Thai heritage, culture and art as well as nature, the Promote flora and fauna of Thailand through study trips, lectures, exhibitions and publications.

history

The organization was founded on February 26, 1904 during the reign of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) by Thai and foreign scholars living in Thailand at the Oriental Hotel, Bangkok. The aim of the society was originally the "exploration and promotion of art, science and literature in relation to Siam and the neighboring countries". In the statutes it was stipulated that the society will hold meetings in the course of which scientific lectures will be held on the subject of the society. These presentations should then be published in a journal . Furthermore, the establishment of an ethnology museum and a library was planned.

From the beginning the society was under the patronage of the Thai king. The first sponsor was Crown Prince Vajiravudh (who later became King Rama VI , who ruled from 1910 to 1925), Prince Damrong Rajanubhab , one of Thailand's leading historians at the time and President of the National Library, became Vice-Patrons.

Historians , archaeologists and epigraphers soon joined the members, the meetings were held regularly and in addition the society organized guided tours to places of archaeological, historical or scientific interest.

In 1926 the company's emblem was designed: the head of an elephant, the symbol of Siam, holding a bouquet of flowers in its trunk, framed by the company's motto, whose Thai words can be translated as “knowledge leads to friendship”.

In 1932 the company was able to move into its first building, which contained a lecture hall and a stage. It was on a piece of land donated by Mr. AE Nana on Soi Asoke, a side street of Thanon Sukhumvit , at that time in the middle of rice fields.

In 1963 the "Kamthieng House" was donated to the Siam Society by the Nimmanhaeminda family from Chiang Mai, an example of traditional northern Thai wooden architecture that was rebuilt on the company's property in Bangkok and is now used as a public ethnography museum.

On November 20, 2009, the office, shops, and parts of the library were destroyed by fire. Most of the media could be saved. The office and library have been remodeled since then.

In 2013, the Protocols of the Council of the Siam Society, which had continued since 1904, were included in the list of World Document Heritage by UNESCO. These are an example of more than 100 years of international cooperation in research and the dissemination of art and science.

Facilities

  • The library is now located in the Chalerm Phra Kiat building , which opened in 1997 and was built on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the throne of King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) . It contains about 25,000 volumes, rare books, journals and magazines. With its research manuscripts, photos, microfiche , videos, maps and traditional palm leaf manuscripts, it was the first library in Thailand that was not in private hands. Chao Phraya Bhaskarawongse (Phorn Bunnag ), a recognized Thai philologist , made his extensive library available to members of the Siam Society. Publications by the École française d'Extrême-Orient , the Batavian Association of Arts and Sciences, the Royal Asiatic Society and the Societa Asiatica Italiana also form the basis of the collection.
  • The Kamthieng House , an ethnology museum in two traditional wooden houses from northern Thailand in the 19th century.
  • The Saengaroon House is an example of traditional architecture of rural central Thailand .

activities

Journal of the Siam Society
  • Publication of the Journal of the Siam Society (since 1904) and other publications in print and online,
  • Study trips both within Thailand and to neighboring countries to places of historical or art historical interest,
  • International exhibitions of art or antique objects,
  • Concerts and dance performances both classical and contemporary in our own theater,
  • Monthly lectures and lectures by recognized scientists in the lecture hall of the Siam Society,
  • Local and international seminars and conferences on topics from the arts, culture and history of Thailand.

Well-known members of the Siam Society

literature

  • The Siam Society Fiftieth Anniversary Commemorative Publication: selected articles from The Siam Society Journal . Volume I: 1904-29 . Bangkok 1954.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ siam-society.org (as of November 25, 2009)
  2. ↑ Own inspection on March 7, 2010
  3. ^ The Minute Books of the Council of the Siam Society . UNESCO Memory of the World; accessed on February 9, 2016.
  4. ↑ All articles in the journal can also be viewed online since 2012, see siam-society.org accessed on May 15, 2017.