Ratchathewi district


Ratchathewi is a district in central Bangkok, Thailand. Clockwise from the north, its neighboring districts are Phaya Thai, Din Daeng, Huai Khwang, Watthana, Pathum Wan and Dusit.

History

The district was part of Dusit district prior to 1966, and part of Phaya Thai District from 1966 to 1989, when it was elevated to its own district. The name is inherited from Ratchathewi Intersection, which is the intersection of Phetchaburi Road and Phaya Thai Road. The name originally comes from a royal consort to King Chulalongkorn, Phra Nangchao Sukumalmarsri Phra Ratchathewi. The term Phra Rachathewi is a royal rank for royal consorts.

Administration

The district is sub-divided into four sub-district.

Landmarks

Victory Monument

was built by Prime Minister Plaek Phibunsongkhram to honour the 59 soldiers who died in the French-Thai War. The opening ceremony was held on 24 June 1942. It was built to the shape of five bayonets joined together and five statues around its base representing army, navy, air force, police, and civilian bureaucracy. There are 809 names inscribed below the statues, including the losses from World War II and the Korean War. The BTS skytrain station is nearby, and it used to be a major bus hub.

Baiyoke Tower

and Baiyoke Tower II are both former tallest buildings in Bangkok that cannot be missed from the skyline. They are located in proximity in the area known as Pratu Nam. The construction of Baiyoke Tower was finished in 1987 and remained the tallest until 1993. Baiyoke Tower II was finished in late 1997 and opened to public January 1998. Both buildings are mostly utilized as hotels Baiyoke Suite and Baiyoke Sky with lower floors as commercial shops.

Suan Pakkad Palace

Palace is a museum exhibiting Thai antiques, from ancient to recent ones. The museum compound contains eight traditional wooden Thai houses with exhibits inside. The old Ban Chiang pottery dates back to 4,000 years ago is among the highlight exhibits and is located in a modern Chumbhot-Pantip gallery building. In the former days, the palace used to be the location of the bridge known as Phra Ratchathewi Bridge crossing Khlong Phra Chae Chin, both of which have since been removed and replaced by what is now Ratchathewi Intersection.

Diplomatic missions

Makkasan Railway Station is a major station for the Airport Rail Link to Suvarnabhumi Airport. The station was the City Air Terminal with check in facility and non-stop train to the airport, although this has no longer been the case since 2014. The Makkasan station is also an interchange to MRT Phetchaburi station.

Bueng Makkasan

Located in Ratchathewi district is a large artificial lake in the center of Bangkok. Bueng Makkasan is 2.4 km long, 60 m wide and 15 m deep. It is utilized for inner Bangkok flood prevention. Now the lake is covered by the system of expressway interconnections.

Health