Ratchathewi

Infobox_Amphoe
name=Ratchathewi
province=Bangkok
thai=ราชเทวี
capital=Thung Phaya Thai
coordinates=coord|13|45|32|N|100|32|04|E|region:TH_type:adm2nd_source:dewiki
population=101,892
population_as_of=2003
area=7.126
density=14,299
postal_code=10400
geocode=1037

Ratchathewi ( _th. ราชเทวี) is a district in central Bangkok, Thailand. It is also name of a BTS Skytrain station.

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

History

The district was once part of Dusit district before 1966, Phaya Thai district during 1966 to 1989 but has been separated to become its own district. The district name inherits from the Ratchathewi Intersection, which is the intersection of Phet Buri Road and Phaya Thai Road. The name originally came from a royal consort to King Chulalongkorn, "Phra Nangchao Sukumalmarsri Phra Ratchathewi". The term Phra Rachathewi (also spelled Phra Rajathevi) is a rank in Thai royal and noble titles for royal consorts.

Landmarks

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. It is now a major bus hub with a Bangkok Skytrain station nearby.

Baiyoke Tower (151 meters high, 43 floors) and Baiyoke Tower 2 (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 2 was finished in late 1997 and opened to public January 1998. Both buildings are mostly utilized as hotels "Baiyoke Suite" (in tower 1) and "Baiyoke Sky" (tower 2) 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.

hopping

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

* Bangkok Skytrain (BTS) - Three stations: Ratchathewi, Phaya Thai and Victory Monument.
* Bangkok Metro (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

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.

Administration

The district is sub-divided into four sub-district ("Kwaeng").

References

* [http://www.belovedking.com/english/makkasan.html Makkasan Waste Water Treatment Through Filtration by Water Hyacinth (Bangkok)]

External links

* [http://www.bma.go.th/bmaeng/ratchatewi/ BMA website with the touristical landmarks of Ratchathewi]
* [http://203.155.220.217/ratchatewi/index.html Ratchathewi district office] (Thai only)
* [http://www.2bangkok.com/2bangkok/MassTransit/crucible.shtml Bangkok's Crucible of Construction] (Items 1 to 7 and 35 to 42. The rest are belong to nearby Pathum Wan district)
* [http://www.suanpakkad.com Suan Pakkad Palace Museum]