DUSIT PALACE

Description

Essentials about Dusit Palace in brief

Dusit Palace is an ensemble of various palace buildings of Thai kings and is one of the main sights of Bangkok. It consists of 13 royal residences and three magnificent throne halls surrounded by a beautiful park. Some of the palace buildings now house museums. The palace complex was built in the early 20th century by King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) as an alternative to the Grand Palace in the Old City.

The history of Dusit Palace

The reason for the construction of Dusit Palace was the fact that until the reign of King Chulalongkorn, a lot of buildings were built in the inner area of the Grand Palace, so that the area became unbearably hot in the summer days due to the lack of air circulation. Since the king loved to take long walks outside Bangkok, he felt increasingly uncomfortable spending the summer in the Grand Palace. When he returned from his trip to Europe in 1897, where he had visited lavishly landscaped gardens of European royalty, he decided to also build a garden palace on the outskirts of Bangkok, not far from the city center.

From his royal private purse, the king bought several contiguous plots of farmland and orchards in the area north of the city center. He named the area Suan Dusit (Heavenly Garden). In 1898, the new palace grounds were formally inaugurated. In the following months, canals were dug, bridges and roads were built, and gardens were laid out. Some temporary wooden houses were erected for the royal family, and in a solemn ceremony on March 1, 1899, the king took up residence in Dusit Palace. To connect Dusit Palace with the Grand Palace, the magnificent boulevard Thanon Ratchadamnoen (Royal Processional Way) was built.

The palace areas

Like other royal palaces in Thailand, Dusit Palace is divided into three areas: the outer, the middle and the inner areas. While the areas in the Grand Palace were still clearly separated by walls, landscaping was used for this purpose in Dusit Palace. The individual areas were divided by smaller or wider canals (khlong). These canals were like a network of roads that connected the gardens with the residences of the ladies. All the canals flow into the largest canal, the Khlong Ang Yok, which is the boundary between the Amphon Sathan Throne Hall, where the king resided, and the Wimanmek Throne Hall, the residence of the ladies of the court.

Probably the most famous building of Dusit Palace is the Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall. Built in 1916, the hall was completely covered with marble, following the European model. The cruciform interior is adorned by wonderful mosaics depicting significant scenes from history. Parts of the interior hall are gilded and the beautiful dome also regularly amazes visitors.

The Vimanmek Palace is also one of the most popular buildings in the palace complex. The stylish mansion was completed in 1901 and is built entirely of teak. Inside you can admire numerous antiques and everyday objects of the royal family.

The museums in Dusit Palace

Many of the palace buildings now house museums. In the National Museum of the Royal White Elephants, in addition to a life-size model of a white elephant, there are numerous photographs and cult objects as well as tusks of deceased elephants on display. In addition, there are, among others, a textile museum, a clock museum, a museum with King Chulalongkorn’s collection of paintings and a museum with photographs of King Bhumibol.

Visiting Dusit Palace

Last but not least, an important practical tip for visiting Dusit Palace: The royal area may only be visited with long pants, long skirt or dress and covered arms and shoulders. Visitors have the opportunity to borrow sarongs on site. Also, visitors must remove their shoes before entering some buildings. Shorts, T-shirt and holey socks should therefore remain in the hotel or hostel room when visiting the royal palace complex.