Pathum Wan ปทุมวัน | |
|---|---|
 TheSiam area, withSiam Square in the foreground | |
 Location inBangkok | |
| Coordinates (district office):13°44′42″N100°31′20″E / 13.74500°N 100.52222°E /13.74500; 100.52222 | |
| Country | Thailand |
| Province | Bangkok |
| Seat | Rong Mueang |
| Khwaeng | 4 |
| Area | |
• Total | 8.37 km2 (3.23 sq mi) |
| Population (2019) | |
• Total | 47,685 |
| • Density | 5,700/km2 (15,000/sq mi) |
| Postal code | 10330 |
| Geocode | 1007 |
Pathum Wan (Thai:ปทุมวัน,pronounced[pā.tʰūm.wān]) is one of thefifty districts (khet) ofBangkok,Thailand. It lies just beyond the old city boundary ofKhlong Phadung Krung Kasem and was a rural area on the eastern outskirts of the city when royal villas were built there in the late nineteenth century. The district was officially established in 1915, and covers an area of 8.37 square kilometres (3.23 sq mi). A large part of the district area is taken up by thecampus of Chulalongkorn University and the green expanses ofLumphini Park and theRoyal Bangkok Sports Club. By the turn of the 20th–21st centuries, the district had become known as the modern-day city centre, home to the prominent shopping areas ofSiam andRatchaprasong.
When KingRama I established Bangkok as his capital in 1782, he had canals dug includingKhlong Maha Nak, which extended eastward from the fortified city proper ofRattanakosin Island. Communities formed along its bank, includingBan Khrua, a Muslim community mainly ofCham settlers, which stood at the end of the canal. As the canal was extended further eastward and became known as Khlong Bang Kapi (laterKhlong Saen Saep), the outlying areas were cleared forpaddy fields, though apart from the canal's banks the areas remained sparsely populated.[1]
By the reign of KingMongkut (Rama IV, 1851–1868), the city had spread beyond itsoriginal walls, andKhlong Phadung Krung Kasem was dug to extend the city's periphery in 1852. The eastern fringe of the city was then dominated by expansive rice fields, withThung Bang Kapi occupying the areas along Bang Kapi Canal. The area that is now Pathum Wan was occupied by royal paddy fields by the canal, between Khlong Phadung Krung Kasem and Ban Khrua to the west and the Bang Kapi fields to the east. Some Lao war captives had also been settled in the area following therazing of Vientiane in 1827.[2]
Sometime before 1855, Mongkut had part of the royal fields south of the canal landscaped with ponds and waterways, which were planted with decorative lotuses, for leisurely visits. A royal villa was built there, which was named Pathum Wan, meaning "lotus forest" (fromPalipaduma +vana). A temple, namedWat Pathumwanaram, was also built next to the palace. The King made annual visits to the palace and the temple, at first travelling by boat. A road was later built, continuing eastward fromBamrung Mueang Road, linking the palace to the city. It was originally known as Sa Pathum or Pathum Wan Road before being renamedRama I Road in 1920.[1]
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With the royal development, the area began to attract more residents, and more palaces were built during the following reign of KingChulalongkorn (Rama V, 1868–1910). The King had a palace built for PrinceSvasti Sobhana west of Pathum Wan Palace in 1880, and commissionedWindsor Palace in 1881 for his own son PrinceVajirunhis, buying up large amounts of land for what was to be its extensive grounds.[3] He also later gifted a plot of land to another son, PrinceMahidol Adulyadej, though it was Mahidol's mother QueenSavang Vadhana who oversaw the constructionSa Pathum Palace there after Chulalongkorn died in 1910.[2]
Windsor Palace had become vacant following Vajirunhis's death in 1895, and its grounds became the site of several successive educational institutions which became established asChulalongkorn University in 1917 by KingVajiravudh (Rama VI, r. 1910–1925). By then, several canals, roads and railways had been built through the area. West of the university grounds theBangkok Railway Station, the country's main terminus, had been built in 1916. To the east, thePhloen Chit area was developed by the enterprising businessmanNai Lert around the same time. When the administration of Bangkok's districts was reorganized in 1915, the district was established as Amphoe Pathum Wan, bounded by Khlong Saen Saep to the north, theChong Nonsi Railway to the east, Khlong Hua Lamphong to the south, and Khlong Phadung Krung Kasem to the west. Its status, along with Bangkok's other districts', was later changed fromamphoe tokhet in 1972.[1]
Pathum Wan District saw increasing development throughout the 20th century, especially since the 1970s when the area along Rama I and Phloenchit roads became developed as a major shopping and commercial district. TheErawan Hotel opened on Ratchaprasong Intersection in 1956, and theThai Daimaru department store, famous for introducing air conditioning and the escalator, opened on the opposite corner in 1964.Siam Square was developed as a low-rise retail area by Chulalongkorn University the same year, and theSiam Inter-Continental Hotel opened opposite it in 1966.Rajadamri Arcade—a modern, enclosed shopping mall—opened at Ratchaprasong in 1972, andSiam Center (next to the Inter-Continental) followed the next year. Gradually, Siam and Ratchaprasong supplanted theWang Burapha area as Bangkok's centre of urban retail and youth culture.[4][5] With the opening of theBTS Skytrain in 1999, the location of its central interchange atSiam station helped cement the neighbourhood's prominence as Bangkok's modern-day city centre.[6] The area's prominence led to its occupation by anti-government protestersin 2010, which ended in a violentmilitary crackdown.
Pathum Wan District occupies 8.369 square kilometres (3.231 sq mi) in Bangkok's Phra Nakhon side (east of theChao Phraya River). It is bordered byDusit andRatchathewi districts to the north across Khlong Saen Saep,Watthana andKhlong Toei to the east across the Maenam railway,Sathon andBang Rak to the south acrossRama IV Road, andPom Prap Sattru Phai to the west across Khlong Phadung Krung Kasem.
The district is served by two major thoroughfares running roughly west–east: Rama I–Phloen Chit near Saen Saep Canal and Rama IV Road along the district's southern edge. They are crossed by several roads running north–south: Rama VI–Charu Mueang,Banthat Thong,Phaya Thai, Henri Dunant,Ratchadamri, Chit Lom–Lang Suan, andWitthayu. The Si Rat and Chaloem Maha Nakhonexpressways run above Phra Ram VI–Charu Mueang and alongside the Maenam railway, respectively.
Banthat Thong, Phaya Thai and Ratchadamri roads divide the district into four subdistricts (khwaeng). They are, from east to west: Rong Mueang, Wang Mai, Pathum Wan and Lumphini. Together, they have a registered population of 47,685 as of October 2019.[7]
| Name | Area (km2) | Population (2019) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Rong Mueang | รองเมือง | 1.423 | 16,827 |
| 2. | Wang Mai | วังใหม่ | 1.423 | 6,877 |
| 3. | Pathum Wan | ปทุมวัน | 2.276 | 6,022 |
| 4. | Lumphini | ลุมพินี | 3.247 | 17,959 |
Rong Mueang remains the district's least developed area, occupied mostly by low-rise residential neighbourhoods. Rama VI Road crosses Rama I at Phong Phraram Intersection, and becomes known as Charu Mueang Road towards Rama IV to the south. The subdistrict's most prominent landmark is the Bangkok Railway Station (commonly known as Hua Lamphong), which lies in its southwestern corner at Hua Lamphong Intersection; the railway yard occupies most of the area along Phadung Krung Kasem Canal.
The area of Wang Mai and Pathum Wan subdistricts (the former is known after another name of Windsor Palace) is dominated by thecampus of Chulalongkorn University, which owns most of the land between Banthat Thong, Rama I, Henri Dunant and Rama IV roads. The neighbourhoods ofSuan Luang (the east side of Banthat Thong) andSam Yan (on the intersection of the same name where Phaya Thai Road meets Rama IV) are managed and developed for revenue by the university'sProperty Management Office.
Along Rama I Road, Charoen Phon Intersection (where it crosses Banthat Thong) is marked by the nearbyNational Stadium, which stands on the former location of Windsor Palace. Opposite the stadium complex to the north still lies part of the historic Ban Khrua community (though the main settlement is across Saen Sap Canal in Ratchathewi District). East of the stadium complex, the length of Rama I Road from Pathum Wan Intersection (where the road crosses Phaya Thai Road) to Chaloem Phao (where it meets Henri Dunant) serves the major shopping area known asSiam, after the retail area of Siam Square and several shopping centres opposite it. Further east, past Wat Pathumwanaram, the chain of shopping malls continues through theRatchaprasong area (the intersection where Rama I is crossed by Ratchadamri Road) and along Phloen Chit Road (which continues off from Rama I). The coterminous areas of Siam and Ratchaprasong have been observed to form a "central shopping district" marking the city centre, as opposed to thecentral business district concept usually found elsewhere.[6]
The area of Lumphini Subdistrict south of the shopping area consists mainly of luxury residential towers and hotels along Ratchadamri, Lang Suan and Witthayu Roads, as well as numerous embassies. The subdistrict's main feature, giving it its name, isLumphini Park, which sits between Ratchadamri and Witthayu roads and fronts Rama IV fromSala Daeng to Witthayu intersections. Lower-income neighbourhoods form the residential communities of Polo (off Witthayu Road, opposite the park) and Bon Kai (on Rama IV Road, in the district's southeast corner).
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Pathum Wan is best known for the shopping district of Siam and Ratchaprasong.Siam Square is a low-rise area consisting of many small blocks of shops and buildings, sitting opposite the enclosed mallsMBK Center on one side, andSiam Discovery,Siam Center andSiam Paragon (the last of which stands on the former site of the Siam Inter-Continental) on the other. The Ratchaprasong intersection is lined by theCentralWorld,BigC Ratchadamri (on the former site of Rajadamri Arcade), Narayana Phan, andGaysorn shopping malls, as well as Central Chidlom, theCentral Group's flagship department store.
On the opposite corner of Pathum Wan Intersection from Siam Square is theBangkok Art and Culture Centre, which shares the contemporary art scene with several galleries operated by Chulalongkorn University. TheJim Thompson House museum is popular as a tourist attraction. It is a complex oftraditional Thai houses near the Ban Khrua community from wherethe designer sourced the silk he popularized internationally.[8]
TheErawan Shrine stands on a corner of Ratchaprasong, in front of theGrand Hyatt Erawan hotel (which replaced the Erawan in 1991). It is a famous place of worship where locals and tourists come to make wishes, but also the site of Bangkok'sdeadliest terrorist attack in 2015. Formal religious sites in the district includeWat Pathumwanaram,Wat Borom Niwat, Wat Duang Khae, Wat Chamni Hatthakan, Wat Sa Bua, Wat Chai Mongkhon, Masjid Indonesia, and theHoly Redeemer Church.[7]
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Much of the district's area is occupied by public institutions, most notably Chulalongkorn University, whose campus occupies several large blocks, mainly between Phaya Thai Road (which bisects it) and Henri Dunant Road. The latter is named after thefounder of the Red Cross, as theThai Red Cross Society straddles its southern end, with theQueen Saovabha Memorial Institute (famous for its snake farm) on one side andKing Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital (one of the country's largest teaching hospitals, affiliated with the university) on the other.[9] Another major public hospital,Police General Hospital, is within theRoyal Thai Police headquarters between Chaloem Phao and Ratchaprasong intersections. The offices of theState Railway of Thailand (next to the Bangkok Railway Station) and theMinistry of Energy sit beside Khlong Phadung Krung Kasem in Rong Mueang. Other educational institutions include the rival technical collegesPathumwan Institute of Technology (on the former site of Prince Svasti Sobhana's palace) and theUthenthawai campus ofRajamangala University of Technology Tawan-ok, and schoolsTriam Udom Suksa School,Chulalongkorn University Demonstration School, thePatumwan Demonstration School of Srinakharinwirot University, andMater Dei School (the last of which is the only private institution).
Sports venues also form distinctive features in the district. In addition to the public National Stadium, the exclusiveRoyal Bangkok Sports Club (RBSC), with its golf course, forms a large green area between the two hospitals and gave Henri Dunant Road its former name: Thanon Sanam Ma or Racecourse Road. It has a second branch at the RBSC Polo Club off Witthayu Road. TheLumpinee Boxing Stadium used to stand on Rama IV Road near Witthayu Intersection, but was relocated in 2014.[10] Sporting activities also take place in Lumphini Park—one of the largest parks in the city—and its various facilities. Newer parks built in the 2010s includeChulalongkorn University Centenary Park on Banthat Thong andPathumwananurak Park near Ratchaprasong. The latter was developed by theCrown Property Bureau, which, like the university, owns a lot of land in the area, especially in Lumphini Subdistrict. Other green spaces include the compound of Sa Pathum Palace—the area's only remaining royal residence—and the embassies ofthe United States and the Netherlands, two of the many diplomatic missions lining Witthayu Road or occupying office towers in the area.
Every year aroundChristmas andNew Year, shopping centres, hotels andsidewalks in the Ratchaprasong shopping district are decorated with lights. It was started by The Peninsular Plaza[11] (closed since 1 March 2022[12]) and the Regent Hotel, and later expanded toSogo (now out of business), Amarin Plaza, CentralWorld, Central Chidlom, Gaysorn and more. TheBangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) provides lights along theBTS Skytrain pillars.
Pathum Wan is served by multiple public transport systems. Both lines of theBTS Skytrain and theBlue Line of theMRT serve the district's neighbourhoods, while theKhlong Saen Saep water bus stops at multiple piers along its northern edge. Multiplebus lines run on the major streets, while both expressways have entrances and exits on Rama IV Road.
TheSiam Station serves as the main interchange between the BTS'sSukhumvit andSilom lines. The other stations areChit Lom andPhloen Chit on the Sukhumvit Line, andNational Stadium andRatchadamri on the Silom Line. The MRT runs beneath Rama IV Road along the district's southern edge, withHua Lamphong,Sam Yan,Si Lom, andLumphini stations serving their respective neighbourhoods.
For long-distance travel, theBangkok Railway Station is the central train station of Bangkok and the State Railway of Thailand.
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