Siam Square

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Siam Square

Siam Square ( Thai : สยามสแควร์ , pronunciation: [ sàʔjǎːm sàʔkʰwɛː ]) is a shopping and entertainment district in Bangkok , Thailand . It is located in the Pathum Wan District ( Khet ) .

Siam Square is home to a number of very large department stores and shopping arcades that are fully air-conditioned and frequented by members of the local middle class as well as foreigners. The goods are offered at fixed prices, so there is no need for haggling, as is common in other places in Thailand. There is a wide range of shops and service providers within Siam Square, such as restaurants, cafes, designer fashion, bookstores, banks and private schools. In the central area of ​​Siam Square is the so-called Center Point , an open area where events usually take place on weekends. Young people in particular get their money's worth in Siam Square, where all the chic and “hip” offers can be found.

Other nearby and easily accessible shopping opportunities include Siam Center and Siam Discovery Center , Maboonkrong Center (via an air-conditioned pedestrian bridge) and Siam Paragon .

history

The first buildings for Siam Square were erected in 1965 on the site of Chulalongkorn University . The aim was to provide the university with another source of income by renting business premises. Because of the proximity to the university, this business model worked and the development was expanded rapidly.

In the following period, the ordinary shops developed into shops with a wide range of branded goods of all kinds. This prompted investors to set up other branches of business such as hotels, shopping centers and restaurants.

Currently, Siam Square is one of the most popular shopping areas in Bangkok, especially for teenagers and tourists.

location

Siam Square is in the Pathum Wan district and bordered by Henri Dunant, Rama I and Phaya Thai Streets. On the opposite side of Rama I Road is the Siam Center with Siam Discovery and the Siam Paragon, which can be reached via the Siam Skytrain station and an open pedestrian bridge. On the opposite side of Phaya Thai Road is the MBK Center, which can be entered from Bonanza Mall in Siam Square via a closed and air-conditioned pedestrian bridge. Parking is in the house and costs the usual Bangkok tariff. However, the parking garages around Siam Square are chronically overcrowded and congested, especially on weekends and holidays.

Siam Skytrain station in Siam Square

traffic

Shops and services

Hotels

  • Bangkok Novotel Siam Square - with the popular CM2 nightclub

shops

In addition to chain stores such as Watson's drugstore, there are numerous stores and boutiques selling jewelry, local and international branded goods, CDs, and so on.

The Bonanza Mall across the street consists almost entirely of small boutiques with inexpensive textiles, which are mainly bought by teens and students.

Cinemas

The Scala cinema
  • Scala (built in 1967, with an Art Deco style lobby ), with around 900 seats and the oldest cinema in Bangkok with only one screen
  • Lido, an older multiplex cinema with three halls; Often foreign and independent films are shown here that you would otherwise not get to see in Thailand. According to plans by Chulalongkorn University, which owns the property, it will be closed to make way for another shopping center.
  • Siam, a movie theater from the 1970s , was burned down during the “red shirt” riots in May 2010 and never rebuilt.

Restaurants

  • Scala - restaurant with Chinese cuisine on the ground floor of the cinema of the same name
  • S&P - Thai and international dishes
  • See Fah - Thai dishes
  • Coca - the first restaurant chain for Thai Suki
  • MK - a popular Thai Suki restaurant chain
  • Vanilla - Restaurant with Italian cuisine and gift sales
  • Hard Rock Cafe - popular tourist hangout in Bangkok

Private schools

In Siam Square there are numerous private schools, mostly for tutoring and specializing in certain subjects, among them are to be mentioned

  • Access - English Lessons
  • Anapco - Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, English, Thai, Social Studies
  • ANS - Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, English, Thai, Social Studies
  • Applied Physics - physics
  • Au Center - Chemistry
  • CSC - Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, English, Thai, Social Studies
  • Davance - Thai, Social Studies
  • Ent'Concept - English lessons with music
  • GET - Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, English, Thai, Social Studies
  • Jia - math
  • The Brain - Mathematics

Web links

Commons : Siam Square  - album with pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Lido Theater to be razed for new retail area. In: Bangkok Post , March 14, 2012.

Coordinates: 13 ° 44 ′ 40 ″  N , 100 ° 31 ′ 59 ″  E