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Phra Ram Ratchaniwet (Thai:พระรามราชนิเวศน์), also commonly known asBan Puen Palace (พระราชวังบ้านปืน), is a former royal palace in Thailand'sPhetchaburi Province. It now serves as a museum, operated by theRoyal Thai Army.
The palace was commissioned in 1910 by KingChulalongkorn, in order to serve as an alternative country residence to the royal palace ofPhra Nakhon Khiri, whose hilltop location was becoming inconvenient. Construction commenced in 1910, but Chulalongkorn died the same year, before its completion. The palace was completed in 1916 in the reign of his successor, KingVajiravudh, who named it Phra Ram Ratchaniwet. It is also commonly known as Ban Puen after the village it is located in.
The palace, designed by the German architectKarl Döhring, is a two-storey building inJugendstil or GermanArt Nouveau style. It has rectangular floor plan with a highmansard roof. The front façade features a largefractable, and a domed circular hall is attached to the right wing. A central courtyard, said to have housed the first badminton court in Thailand, today features a fountain.
The palace now serves as a museum, operated by the 15th Military Circle of the Royal Thai Army, which now owns the palace and the surrounding grounds. The building is a registeredancient monument, and received theASA Architectural Conservation Award in 2000.
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