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The Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall, a large impressive building in
Dusit district in Bangkok, was built by King Chulalongkorn (Rama
V) to serve as a reception hall for the Dusit Palace.
Construction started in 1906 and the building was finished in
1915, during the reign of King Vajiravudh (Rama VI). Built in
Italian Renaissance style, the two storey Throne Hall resembles
the famous Sistine Chapel in the Vatican City in Italy. It is
built from Italian white marble with a large dome in the middle
and six smaller surrounding domes. King Chulalongkorn hired
two Italian architects to design the throne hall, Annibale
Rigotti and Mario Tamagno. The latter later also designed the
Hualamphong train station in Bangkok. The interior is as
remarkable as the exterior. The walls and the large central dome
are covered with murals telling the history of the currently
ruling Chakri dynasty from the first King, King Buddha Yodfa
Chulaloke the Great (Rama I), who became King in 1782 until King
Vajiravudh (Rama VI) who ruled until 1925. The Royal Throne sits
under the huge central dome. During the 1932 Siamese
Revolution the Throne Hall was used as a headquarters for the
People’s Party. It later served as the Parliament building until
1974. The Throne Hall that sits at the end of the long, wide
Royal Plaza, now serves as a museum and is sometimes used for
ceremonial state functions. It is set in very large, well kept
grounds with beautiful gardens, through which you can walk to
the neighboring Vimanmek Mansion. The Ananta Samakhom Throne
Hall houses the permanent “the Arts of the Kingdom” exhibition,
where various kinds of hand made traditional Thai crafts are on
display made by people working for the SUPPORT foundation.
The SUPPORT foundation was initiated more than 40 years ago
by the Queen of Thailand, Her Majesty Queen Sirikit. It aims to
give people in rural areas the skills that provides additional
income and also to preserve the Thai traditional handicraft
skills and Thai cultural heritage. A wide range of arts and
craft items from silk, cotton, carved wood, gold and silver can
be seen here, including several rare and unique masterpieces,
like the magnificent Suphannapetra golden junk. At the end of
the exhibition there is a souvenir shop with several hand made
items for sale.
How to get to the Ananta Samakhom Throne
Hall Since there is no BTS Sky Train or MRT Subway station
nearby, the best way to get to Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall would
be by metered taxi. The Vimanmek Teak Mansion is located
immediately next to the Throne Hall.
Admission fee &
opening hours Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall is open every day
except Monday from 10 am until 6 pm. It is closed on a number of
Thai public holidays like New Years day, Songkran (April 13-15),
the King’s birthday (December 5) and the Queen’s birthday
(August 12).
Admission fee is 150 Thai Baht per person.
If you have a ticket for the Grand Palace that is not older than
7 days, you can use that get in free. It is also valid for the
Vimanmek Mansion, next to the Throne Hall.
Taking
photographs inside the Throne Hall is not allowed. Appropriate
clothing is required, which means long pants and long sleeved
shirts for men and long dress and long sleeved shirt for women.
Long dresses are available for use at the entrance that can be
returned when leaving. |
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