Category Archives: เขตราชเทวี

Ratchathewi เขตราชเทวี
Khet
Baiyoke Tower II
Khet location in Bangkok
Coordinates: 13°45′32″N 100°32′04″ECoordinates: 13°45′32″N 100°32′04″E
Country	Thailand
Province	Bangkok
Seat	Thung Phaya Thai
Khwaeng	4
Khet established	November 9, 1989
Area
• Total	7.126 km2 (2.751 sq mi)
Population (2017)
• Total	72,304[1]
• Density	10,146.50/km2(26,279.3/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+7 (THA)
Postal code	10400
Geocode	1037

Ratchathewi (Thai: เขตราชเทวี, pronounced [râːt.t͡ɕʰā.tʰēː.wīː]) is a district in central Bangkok, Thailand. It is also name of a BTS Skytrainstation.

Neighboring districts are (from the north clockwise) Phaya Thai, Din Daeng, Huai Khwang, Watthana, Pathum Wan, Pom Prap Sattru Phai and Dusit.

History[edit]

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 (also spelled Phra Rajadevi) is a rank in Thai royal and noble titles for royal consorts.

Administration[edit] เขตราชเทวี

The district is sub-divided into four sub-district (Khwaeng).

Landmarks[edit]

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 (until the 2016 when the bus hub was relocated to Mo Chit 2 Bus Station, platform area 3).

Baiyoke Tower (151 meters high, 43 floors) and Baiyoke Tower II (304 m, 85 fl) are the former and the current tallest buildings in Bangkok that cannot be missed from the skyline. They are located in proximity in the area known as Pratu Nam. (Also see Shopping section below.) 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 (in tower I) and Baiyoke Sky (tower II) with lower floors as commercial shops.

Suan Pakkad 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 one of the highlight exhibits and is located in a modern Chumbhot-Pantip gallery building.

Shopping[edit]

Pratu Nam (Thai: ประตูน้ำ) is an area renowned for low-cost clothes. Not evident from outside on Phet Buri Road, there are hundreds and hundreds of small clothes shops along the small pedestrian lanes and the shopping complexes inside, both wholesale and retail. The easiest entrance to Pratu Nam is walking southward from Baiyoke Tower. The shops now extend to various malls in the area such as City Complex, Pratunam Plaza, and The Platinum Fashion Mall.

Pantip Plaza is the biggest shopping center about IT in Thailand. There you can find computers (brandname and self assembled from components), computer accessories, software, music, movies (legal and illegal), mobile phones and digital cameras.

Transportation[edit]

• BTS skytrain – Three stations: Ratchathewi, Phaya Thai and Victory Monument.
• MRT – One station: Phetchaburi.
• Express boats – Khlong Saen Saeb, in the southern district border.

The area around the current Makkasan Railway Station is under construction for the Airport Link to Suvarnabhumi Airport. The area will become City Air Terminal with check in facility and non-stop train to the airport. The terminal also has an interchange to MRT Phetchaburi station.

Bueng Makkasan[edit]

Located in Ratchathewi district is a large artificial lake in the center of Bangkok. Bueng Makkasan (บึงมักกะสัน) 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.

Education[edit]

• The Indonesian School of Bangkok, is located at the Indonesian Embassy compound in the district.^[2]
• Sri Ayudhya School, a high school located on Si Ayutthaya Road, Thanon Phaya Thai Sub-District, Ratchathewi District.
• Santirat Witthayalai School, a high school located on Si Ayutthaya Road, Thung Phaya Thai Sub-District, Ratchathewi District.
• Amnuay Silpa School, a coeducational private school located on Si Ayutthaya Road, Thung Phaya Thai Sub-District, Ratchathewi District.
• Phaya Thai School, primary school located on Si Ayutthaya Road, Thung Phaya Thai Sub-District, Ratchathewi District.
• Saint Dominic School, boys’ school located on New Phetchaburi Road, Makkasan Sub-District, Ratchathewi District.
• Valaya Alongkorn Rajabhat University: Bangkok Campus, Rajabhat University located at 153 Phetchaburi Road, Thung Phaya Thai Sub-District, Ratchathewi District near Siam Commercial Bank, Phetchaburi Road Branch, its name after Valaya Alongkorn, Princess of Phetchaburi.

Gallery[edit]

• 

  Suan Pakkad Palace

• 

  Pratu Nam zone at night

• 

  Footpath of Si Ayutthaya Road in front of Sri Ayudhya School

• 

  View of Phetchaburi Road

• 

  Siam Commercial Bank, Phetchaburi Road Branch, a historic building on the corner of Phetchaburi and Banthat Thong Roads

• 

  Phase of Khlong Saen Saep in the area of Ban Krua Community, the historic Thai silk Muslim community

• 

  Atmosphere of Pratu Nam Market

• 

  Entrance of Baiyoke Tower II (Pratu Nam Market, Soi Phetchaburi 21)

• 

  Overpass of Si Ayutthaya Road, side toward Dusit

• 

  Airport Link

References[edit]

• Makkasan Waste Water Treatment Through Filtration by Water Hyacinth (Bangkok)

External links[edit]

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Pratunam.

• BMA website with the tourist landmarks of Ratchathewi
• Ratchathewi district office (Thai only)
• Bangkok’s Crucible of Construction (Items 1 to 7 and 35 to 42. The rest belong to nearby Pathum Wan district)
• Suan Pakkad Palace Museum