The 22 July Circle (, ) is a

traffic circle A roundabout, a rotary and a traffic circle are types of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junct ...

in Thailand. It's an intersection of Maitri Chit, Santiphap and Mittraphan roads in Pom Prap subdistrict, Pom Prap Sattru Phai district, Bangkok.

History

22 July Circle was built on 24 January 1918 to commemorate the occasion of Thailand's participation in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, which was the royal intention of

King Vajiravudh Vajiravudh (1 January 188126 November 1925) was the sixth king of Siam from the Chakri dynasty, titled Rama VI. He reigned from 1910 until his death in 1925. King Vajiravudh is best known for his efforts to create and promote Siamese nationa ...

(Rama VI), the

king of Thailand The monarchy of Thailand is the constitutional monarchy, constitutional form of government of Thailand (formerly ''Siam''). The king of Thailand (, historically, ''king of Siam''; ) is the head of state and head of the ruling Chakri dynasty. ...

at the time. Under his directives, the Ministry of Public Works of Siam constructed many roads in that area. King Vajiravudh also gave names to other roads nearby, such as Suea Pa or Phlapphla Chai roads. In the following reign of his brother, King Prajadhipok, the three roads branching from the 22 July Circle were intentionally named to stress Siam's participation in WWI on the side of the Allied powers: "Maitri Chit" means friendship, "Mittraphan" was intended to signified the Allied powers, and "Santiphap" means peace. The name "22 July" comes from the date Thailand declared war, which corresponds to 22 July 1917.

Characteristics

At the center of the roundabout is a

fountain A fountain, from the Latin "fons" ( genitive "fontis"), meaning source or spring, is a decorative reservoir used for discharging water. It is also a structure that jets water into the air for a decorative or dramatic effect. Fountains were o ...

with a small

public park An urban park or metropolitan park, also known as a city park, municipal park (North America), public park, public open space, or municipal gardens (United Kingdom, UK), is a park or botanical garden in cities, densely populated suburbia and oth ...

for people to rest. The surrounding area is home to many

billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

or advertising board

shophouses A shophouse is a building type serving both as a residence and a commercial business. It is defined in the dictionary as a building type found in Southeast Asia that is "a shop opening on to the pavement and also used as the owner's residence ...

, including tire and car spare parts shops and many famous restaurants. It has also been known for years as another district of Bangkok's sex industry. 22 July Circle is considered one of the circuits in

Bangkok's Chinatown Bangkok's Chinatown is one of the largest Chinatowns in the world. It was founded in 1782 when the city was established as the capital of the Rattanakosin Kingdom, and served as the home of the mainly Teochew immigrant Chinese population, wh ...

like another roundabout,

Odeon Circle Odeon Circle and Chinese gate., 300px Odeon Circle or Wongwian Odeon (, , ; zh, 崇聖牌樓; pinyin: ''Chóng shèng páilóu'') is a roundabout in Bangkok. It is the intersection of Yaowarat, Charoen Krung, and Tri Mit or Mittaphap Thai-China ...

Yaowarat Yaowarat Road (, , ; ) in Samphanthawong District is the main artery of Bangkok's Chinatown. Modern Chinatown now covers a large area around Yaowarat and Charoen Krung Road. It has been the main centre for trading by the Chinese community si ...

road. It is close to many important places such as

Bangkok railway station Bangkok (Hua Lamphong) railway station (, ) is a list of railway stations in Thailand, railway station in Pathum Wan district, Pathum Wan, the former central station, central passenger terminal in Bangkok and the former railway hub of Thailand. ...

(Hua Lamphong), Wat Phlapphla Chai, Wat Thepsirin, the Maitrichit Chinese Baptist Church, the first Protestant church in Thailand, and

Wat Khanikaphon Wat Khanikaphon () is a Thai private temple in the Maha Nikaya tradition of Buddhism, It is at Phlapphla Chai, Khwaeng Pom Prap, Pom Prap Sattru Phai District, Bangkok, in front of the Phlapphla Chai police station. During the reign of King ...

, including Poh Teck Tung Foundation's headquarters. In addition, it was also a popular place to observe the total solar eclipse on 22 July 2009.

References

External links

July 22nd Circle
from Wikimapia {{coord, 13, 44, 31, N, 100, 30, 48, E, display=title category:Buildings and structures in Bangkok Pom Prap Sattru Phai district category:Road junctions in Bangkok 1918 establishments in Siam category:Monuments and memorials in Thailand World War I memorials