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 Thailand
has a rich royal heritage spanning several centuries. Many
royal palaces in Bangkok and elsewhere in Thailand offer a
fascinating glimpse of the majesty and splendor of the Thai
monarchy. In Thailand, several royal palaces are open to tourists.
Most
of the royal palaces in existence today date from the Bangkok
period and are not more than 200 years old. The most important
palace of them all is the Grand Palace, located in the same
compound as the Temple of Emerald Buddha. Visiting Bangkok
without seeing the Grand Palace is like going to Paris without
visiting Versailles.
The
Grand Palace compound consists of several Thai-style buildings
with highly decorative architectural details. The most prominent
building is the Dusit Mahaprasat, which is considered one
of the most splendid examples of Thai-style architecture.
The
Grand Palace was built in 1782 during the reign of King Rama
I when he decided to establish Bangkok as the capital of Siam.
It has been used as the official royal residence by the Chakri
monarchs up until the reign of King Rama VIII. The present
King resides at nearby Chitrlada Palace. The Grand Palace
is now a museum, maintained by the Royal Household Bureau.
The palace houses several important museums, including the
Weapon Museum, the Royal Thai Decorations and Coin Pavilion
and the Museum of Fine Arts.
 Over
the two centuries since its establishment, the Grand Palace
has been renovated and developed in line with external influences.
You will see that some buildings, like the Chakri Mahaprasat
Hall, which was built during the reign of King Rama V, resemble
western building with Thai-style roof tops. Due to its grandeur
and significance, the Grand Palace has become an all-time
top tourist attraction for visitors to Thailand.
The
Grand Palace is the only palace where pure Thai architecture
can still be seen and it's the only palace built in the early
Rattanakosin period. During the reign of King Rama II and
King Rama III, there was no palace construction as the era
was marked by economic revival after a long period of war.
When
it came to the reign of King Rama IV, the tradition of building
palaces to accommodate the royals on visits to the provinces
was revived. Palaces built during the reign of King Rama IV
display a mixture of Thai, Chinese and Western influence.
The most important palace built during this reign is the Phra
Nakhon Khiri summer palace in Phetchaburi province.
King
Rama V set up Baan Puen Palace for visits upcountry and for
political reasons. Paying visits to remote areas of the country
is an old tradition among the Thai kings.
During
the reign of King Rama V, several important palaces were erected.
Most prominent among them are the Dusit Palace in Bangkok,
Vimanmek Palace in Ko Sichang of Chonburi, Bang Pa-in Summer
Palace in Ayutthaya and Baan Puen Palace in Phetchaburi. Today,
each of these palaces is an important local attraction for
tourists.
 Vimanmek
Palace was subsequently relocated from Ko Sichang in Chonburi
to the compound of Dusit Palace. Known as the world's largest
golden teak wood building, the three-storey palace is as much
a work of art as the treasures it holds within.
The
palace is filled with crystal, jewelry and other objects from
Europe, as well as photographs and gifts presented to the
Royal Family from around the world. It is said that King Rama
V made Vimanmek Palace his permanent residence during the
latter part of his life.
Within
the same compound is the Abhisek Dusit Throne Hall, a one
storey teak building built during the reign of King Rama V.
It is now Thailand's first handicraft museum, showcasing a
collection of handicraft masterpieces including nielloware,
Thai silk, handbags and so on.
Many
other interesting palaces can be found outside Bangkok. Marukkhathayawan
Palace situated between Cha-am and Hua Hin, built during the
reign of King Rama VI, was once used as a summertime vocational
accommodation. The palace is noted for its three-storey wooden
pavilions facing the sea and is referred to as the 'palace
of love and hope.' It is now an important tourist attraction
in that region.
 Klai
Kangwon Palace in Prachuab Khiri Khan is still used by the
present monarch but occasionally opens to the public when
there are no royals on the premises. This is exactly the case
for other vocational palaces such as Phu Ping Rachanives Palace
in Chiang Mai, Phuphan Rachanives in Sakhon Nakhon and Taksin
Rachanives in Narathiwat.
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