Pratunam, written as Pratu Nam (, ), is an intersection and neighborhood in
Bangkok
Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...
. It is located in Thanon Phaya Thai sub-district,
Ratchathewi district. The boundaries of the intersection are considered to be where
Phetchaburi
Phetchaburi (, ) or Phet Buri () is a town ('' thesaban mueang'') in southern Thailand, capital of Phetchaburi Province. In Thai, Phetchaburi means "city of diamonds" (''buri'' meaning "city" in Sanskrit). It is approximately 160 km south of ...
road passes, and where
Ratchadamri and
Ratchaprarop roads originate. The next intersection on Ratchaprarop side is
Makkasan
Makkasan (, ) is the name of an intersection and the surrounding neighbourhood in Bangkok's Ratchathewi district. It is one of the 180 sub-districts in Bangkok. Makkasan Intersection is divided into two closely located intersections. One is the m ...
.
The term "Pratunam" means "
water gate
A water gate (or watergate) is a fortified gate, leading directly from a castle or town wall directly on to a quay, river side or harbour. In medieval times it enabled people and supplies to reach the castle or fortification directly from the ...
", as at one time there was a water gate within nearby
Sa Pathum Palace
Sa Pathum Palace (, ) is a royal residence in Pathum Wan District, Bangkok, Thailand. It has been a residence of the Thai Royal Family, especially the House of Mahidol, since the 19th century, and is the official residence of Princess Sirindhorn.
...
, which commonly was known as ''Pratunam Wang Sa Pathum'' or ''Pratunam Sa Pathum'' (ประตูน้ำวังสระปทุม, ประตูน้ำสระปทุม). This water gate was built by
King Chulalongkorn
Chulalongkorn (20 September 1853 – 23 October 1910), posthumously honoured as King Chulalongkorn the Great, was the fifth king of Siam from the Chakri dynasty, titled Rama V. Chulalongkorn's reign from 1868 until his death in 1910 was cha ...
(Rama V) in the year 1905 to drain water from the
Khlong Saen Saep
Khlong Saen Saep (, ) is a canal ''(khlong)'' in central Thailand, connecting the Chao Phraya River to Prachinburi Province and Chachoengsao Province, Chachoengsao. A portion of the canal is used for public transport by an express boat servic ...
(Saen Saep canal) to distribute to the people, both for agriculture, and water levelling
for boating and rafting. There were two other water gates in
Chachoengsao province which were built in the same period.
Currently, Pratunam is widely known as a prominent shopping district. There are many shopping centers and department stores in the area such as
Platinum Fashion Mall
The Platinum Fashion Mall is a five billion baht (148 thousand USD) shopping mall in Pratunam, Bangkok, Thailand, which specializes in fashion clothes and accessories retail and wholesale. It is a six-storey complex with an 11-storey condominium ...
,
Pratunam Market
Pratunam Market () is one of Bangkok's major markets, and is Thailand's largest clothing market. The name ''Pratunam'' means 'water gate'.
Overview
The market includes retail stores and outdoor stalls, the latter aimed at tourists. It is at t ...
,
CentralWorld
CentralWorld (, styled as centralwOrld), is a shopping plaza and complex in the Siam area of Bangkok, in Thailand. It is the ninth-largest shopping center in the world. The complex, which includes a hotel and office tower, is owned by Central ...
,
Big C
Big C, operated by Big C Supercenter Public Company Limited under Big C Retail Corporation Public Company Limited, is a grocery and general merchandising retailer headquartered in Bangkok, Thailand. In 2016, Big C was Thailand's second-largest hy ...
Supercenter (Big C Rajdamri), etc. In addition, it is also one of the most important transportation routes in Bangkok. It is close to two other important intersections such as
Ratchaprasong
Ratchaprasong (, ; also spelled ''Rajprasong'') is the name of an intersection, and a shopping district named after it, in Pathum Wan District, Bangkok, adjacent to the Siam area, at the BTS Skytrain's Chit Lom Station and the intersection ...
and Pathum Wan, and is also a location of Pratunam pier of
Khlong Saen Saep boat service
The Khlong Saen Saep boat service is a water bus operating on the Khlong Saen Saep, Saen Saep Canal in Bangkok, Thailand. It has been in operation since 1 October 1990.
The 18-km route is served by 100 boats of 40–50 seats. It operates ...
.
The Pratunam overpass, Bangkok's first overpass, is scheduled to be demolished in March 2026 to make way for the construction of
MRT Orange Line
The MRT Orange Line () is a rapid transit line of the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) in the Bangkok Metropolitan Area, Thailand. When fully completed, the MRT Orange line will be long with 29 stations (7 stations will be elev ...
. The overpass would later be rebuilt later in the same year.
References
{{Reflist
External links
Pratunamfrom
Wikivoyage
Wikivoyage is a free web-based travel guide for travel destinations and travel topics written by volunteer authors. It is a sister project of Wikipedia and supported and hosted by the same non-profit Wikimedia Foundation (WMF). Wikivoyage has ...
Road junctions in Bangkok
Neighbourhoods of Bangkok
Ratchathewi district
Shopping districts and streets in Thailand