Ratchawong Road

Ratchawong Road (Thai: ถนนราชวงศ์, pronounced [tʰā.nǒn râːt.t͡ɕʰā.wōŋ]; lit: dynasty road) is a road in Bangkok, Thailand. It is located in the area of Bangkok's Chinatown. It starts from Suea Pa intersection toward southeast and meets with Yaowarat road at Ratchawong intersection where it bends to the south as far as the end of the Ratchawong pier (N5), the ferry pier to Tha Din Daeng in Thonburi side and Chao Phraya Express Boat service. Its lengths 600 m.

Ratchawong road in the part between Suea Pa and Ratchawong intersections (white building is Grand China Hotel)

Ratchawong intersection (the second intersection of Yaowarat road) is next to Chaloem Buri intersection. Yaowarat road in this phase heading to Wat Tuek intersection.

History

This road was built in the reign of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V). It is a very important road to trade. Ratchawong pier is a domestic passenger ships and cargo ships travel to Chantaburi, Chonburi and Surat Thani. Ratchawong road is home to a large number of offices and shophouses's foreign merchants including Chinese, Westerners and Muslims.

Apart from Ratchawong intersection, it is connected to shopping district Sampheng. It is the beginning of Song Wat road, leading to Talat Noi and Sieng Kong neighbourhoods. Song Wat is a historic road and full of old buildings built since the reign of King Chulalongkorn.[1]

Ratchawong road was home to leading Bangkok restaurants. They were popular among the elites in Thai society at that time for dining or socializing. One of these restaurants was used as a planning facility for a group of naval officers involved in the 1932 revolution.[2] [3]

Before the 1960s it was the location of cinema named Nakhon Sanook (นครสนุก) on Yaowarat road. It later housed TMB Bank, Yaowarat Branch.[4]

In early 2016, Ratchawong road ranked as the best pedestrian street of Bangkok from Urban Design and Development Center (UddC) due to the two sides surrounded by trees, full of stalls and shophouses.[5]

References
  1. "เส้นทางท่องเที่ยว ถนนทรงวาด ท่าน้ำราชวงศ์ ย่านเยาวราช แหล่งการค้าเก่าแก่ และวัฒนธรรม ไทย จีน อิสลาม" [Travel routes, Song Wat road, Ratchawong pier, Yaowarat district, the old trade area and Thai, Chinese, Islamic cultures]. Chinatownyaowarach (in Thai).
  2. Peesalee, Virayudh (2016-08-05). "เมื่อในอดีต"คนชั้นสูง"ไม่กินอาหารค่ำนอกบ้าน และทำไมย่าน"ราชวงศ์"เป็นแหล่งดินเนอร์กลุ่มผู้ดี" [When in the past, "noble people" didn't eat dinner outside the house and why the "Ratchawong" neighbourhood was dinner place for gentry]. Prachachat (in Thai).
  3. Nai Hon Huai (November 2012). ทหารเรือปฏิวัติ [Naval Revolt] (in Thai). Bangkok: Matichon Press. p. 53. ISBN 978-974-02-1025-2.
  4. Khao Mu Daeng Nakhon Sanook Worachak Intersection (2015-09-15). "โรงหนังนครสนุกในอดีต และปัจจุบัน" [Nakhon Sanook movie theatre in the past and presently]. facebook (in Thai).
  5. "ถนนราชวงศ์ อันดับ 1 น่าเดินมากที่สุดใน กทม" [Ratchawong road, no. 1, most worth walking in BKK]. MCOT (in Thai).

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