Thanon Ratchadamnoen Nok viewedfrom Phan Fa Lilat Bridge

Ratchadamnoen Avenue (, , , also spelled Rajdamnern) is a historic road in the Phra Nakhon and Pom Prap Sattru Phai with

Dusit Dusit () is the Thai name for Tushita, the fourth heavenly realm in Buddhist cosmology. The name may refer to: * Dusit District, a district of Bangkok * Dusit Palace, namesake of the district *Dusit Subdistrict, Bangkok, in Dusit District * Dusit S ...

Districts of

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 ...

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

. Ratchadamnoen Avenue may be the most politically charged thoroughfare in the capital, as its history captures the ebb and flow of Thai ideological struggles over Thai governance in the 20th and 21st centuries.

History

Ratchadamnoen Avenue was commissioned 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 ...

following his first visit to Europe in 1897. Construction took place from 1899 to 1903. The road consists of three segments, named Ratchadamnoen Nai, Ratchadamnoen Klang, and Ratchadamnoen Nok (Inner, Middle, and Outer Ratchadamnoen, respectively). It links the

Grand Palace The Grand Palace (, Royal Institute of Thailand. (2011). ''How to read and how to write.'' (20th Edition). Bangkok: Royal Institute of Thailand. . ) is a complex of buildings at the heart of Bangkok, Thailand. The palace has been the officia ...

Dusit Palace Dusit Palace (, RTGS: ''Phra Ratcha Wang Dusit'') is a compound of royal residences in Bangkok, Thailand. Constructed over a large area north of Rattanakosin Island between 1897 and 1901 by King Chulalongkorn (Rama V). The palace, originally cal ...

in the new royal district, terminating at the Royal Plaza in front of the

Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall The Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall ( : ''Phra Thinang Anantasamakhom'': translated as 'The place of immense gathering'Noobanjong, page 167) is a royal reception hall in Dusit Palace in Bangkok, Thailand. It was commissioned by King Chulalongkorn ( ...

. Inspired by the

Champs-Élysées The Avenue des Champs-Élysées (, ; ) is an Avenue (landscape), avenue in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France, long and wide, running between the Place de la Concorde in the east and the Place Charles de Gaulle in the west, where the Arc ...

and other European boulevards, the King used the road as a route for grand royal parades (Ratchadamnoen literally means 'royal procession'), which served to project images of a modern monarchy. Between 1939 and 1941, Ratchadamnoen Klang, the middle segment, was redeveloped upon a People's Party's initiative. The first task carried out in 1939 was the expropriation and demolition of existing properties within 40 metres along the boulevard, from

Phan Phiphop Lila Bridge Phan Phiphop Lila Bridge (, , ; 'King's Cross Bridge') is a bridge across Khlong Khu Mueang Doem (), or old moat, in Phra Nakhon District, Bangkok. The bridge connects Thanon Ratchadamnoen Nai (Inner Ratchadamnoen Road) with Thanon Ratchadamnoe ...

Phan Fa Lilat Bridge Phan Fa Lilat Bridge (, , ; lit: 'bridge on which the ruler of heaven proceeds', refers to "King's Cross Bridge"; usually shortened to "Phan Fa Bridge") is a historic bridge across Khlong Bang Lamphu (Bang Lamphu canal) on Ratchadamnoen Avenue ...

. The only building to be left untouched was the former Badman and Co. department store which had then been converted into the Publicity Department. The double rows of mahogany trees and the pavement beneath them were replaced with a single row of central islands. On 24 June 1940, the

Democracy Monument The Democracy Monument () is a public monument in the city center of Bangkok, capital of Thailand. It occupies a traffic circle on the wide east–west Ratchadamnoen Avenue, at the intersection of Dinso Road. The monument is roughly halfway betw ...

was inaugurated at the centre of the new boulevard which represented a new symbol of the People's Party. By 1941, ten multi-storied buildings had been erected and the new redeveloped Ratchadamnoen Klang Road was officially opened by officials on 24 June 1941. More buildings were added in the coming years, including the Royal Rattanakosin Hotel in 1942 and

Sala Chaloem Thai Sala Chaloem Thai (, ), abbreviated as Chaloem Thai (), was a movie theatre in Bangkok, located at the corner of Ratchadamnoen Avenue and Mahachai Road near the Fort Mahakan, opposite what is now the Queen Sirikit Gallery. This movie theatr ...

in 1949. By redeveloping Ratchadamnoen Klang Road, the main objective of the People's Party was to leave its mark on the city and to distinguish itself from the monarchy by choosing the only segment of the road that does not have a palace at one of its extremities (i.e. the Grand Palace and the Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall). The avenue has been the site of many demonstrations, including the 1973 student uprising as well as more recent political rallies, such as the protests and ensuing military crackdowns in

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

and

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

, the latter of which led to over 20 deaths along Ratchadamnoen Klang. In January 2020, it was announced that ten buildings flanking a 1.2 kilometre stretch of the avenue, owned by the

Crown Property Bureau The Crown Property Bureau (CPB) (; ) is legally the administrative agency responsible for managing the property of the King of Thailand. The king had appointed six members of the bureau's governing board, with the seventh the sitting Minister of ...

, would be renovated or demolished. The bureau proposes rebuilding the structures in " neoclassical-style", obliterating the

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

theme originally inspired by the spirit of the 1932 revolution that overthrew absolute monarchy.

Description

Ratchadamnoen Nai Road begins at the northeast corner of the Grand Palace and leads northward to the

, which crosses the old city moat. The road then continues east as Ratchadamnoen Klang until it crosses

Khlong Rop Krung Rattanakosin Island (, , ) is a historic area in the Phra Nakhon District in the city of Bangkok, Thailand. It is bordered by the Chao Phraya River to the west and various canals to the east that were dug to serve as moats for what was originall ...

(the outer moat of Rattanakosin Island) at

, where it turns northward toward the Royal Plaza. Ratchadamnoen Nok, in particular, was designed to impart Western-style grandeur, with three carriageways with wide pavements lined by multiple rows of trees. It is bordered by government offices, including the

Government House Government House is the name of many of the official residences of governors-general, governors and lieutenant-governors in the Commonwealth and British Overseas Territories. The name is also used in some other countries. Government Houses in th ...

. The

sits in the centre of Ratchadamnoen Klang Road. Today, the avenue serves as a major thoroughfare bringing traffic into the old city centre and across

Phra Pin-klao Bridge The Somdet Phra Pinklao Bridge (, , ) is a bridge near the Grand Palace over the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, Thailand. It links Rattanakosin Island with Thonburi. Background The bridge is named after Pinklao, vice-king of Siam, 1851–1866. I ...

to the

Thonburi __NOTOC__ Thonburi () is an area of modern Bangkok. During the era of the Ayutthaya Kingdom, Kingdom of Ayutthaya, its location on the right (west) bank at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River had made it an important garrison town, which is ref ...

side of the city.

Gallery

Landmarks along Ratchadamnoen Avenue Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall Bangkok Thailand.jpg,

Saphan Makkhawan2023.jpg,

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

Building Rajadamnern Stadium.jpg,

Rajadamnern Stadium Rajadamnern Stadium (; ), also spelled ''Ratchadamnoen'', is a sporting arena in Bangkok, Thailand. Along with Lumpinee Boxing Stadium, Rajadamnern is one of the two main stadiums for modern Muay Thai. It hosts fights every Monday, Wednesday, ...

Maha Chetsadabodin Pavilion (II).jpg, Maha Chetsadabodin Pavilion 008-Democracy Monument.jpg,

อนุสรณ์สถาน 14 ตุลา ถ่ายเมื่อกันยายน 2563 14 October 1973 Memorial 02.jpg, 14 October 1973 Memorial สะพานผ่านพิภพลีลา April2021 Phanphiphop Lila 02.jpg,

โรงแรมรัตนโกสินทร์ April2021 Royal Rattanakosin Hotel 09.jpg, Royal Rattanakosin Hotel ป้อมมหากาฬพร้อมด้วยปราการ01.jpg, Mahakan Fort (2020) ท้องสนามหลวง เขตพระนคร กรุงเทพมหานคร.jpg,

Sanam Luang Sanam Luang (, ; ), officially Thong Sanam Luang (), is a open field and public square in front of Wat Phra Kaew and the Grand Palace, Bangkok, Thailand. Sanam Luang is in the Phra Nakhon District, the historic center of Bangkok. In the ''Roy ...

Nitas Rattanakosin.jpg, Rattanakosin Exhibition Hall โลหะปราสาท วัดราชนัดดารามวรวิหาร Loha Prasat Wat Ratchanatdaram.jpg,

Wat Ratchanatdaram Wat Ratchanatdaram (, ) is a Buddhist temple (wat) located at the intersection between Ratchadamnoen Klang and Maha Chai Road, in Phra Nakhon district, Bangkok. Meaning ''Temple of the Royal Niece'', the temple was built to the order of King N ...

2023) อุทกทาน เขตพระนคร กรุงเทพมหานคร (6).jpg, Statue of the Goddess of Earth squeezing water out of her hair bunt

References

External links

* {{Tourist attractions in Bangkok Streets in Bangkok Phra Nakhon district category:Pom Prap Sattru Phai district Dusit district