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National Museum.
Na Phrathat Road, Bangkok |
| The first museum in Thailand was established at the Grand Palace to
include the private collection of antiquities of King Mongkut (King Rama
IV, 1851-1868). The first public museum in Thailand was founded in
1874 by his son, King Chulalongkorn (King Rama V, 1868-1910). The
collection included his personal art objects and antiquities, mounted stuffed
animals purchased in Europe and the United States, skeletons, rocks and
minerals.
In 1926, King Prajadhipok (King Rama VII, 1925-1934) established the Royal Institute of Art, Literature and Archaeology. The Bangkok Museum, then under the supervision of the Royal Institute, was reorganized into a museum of art and archaeology and moved to the "Palace to the Front" (Palace of Wang Na). The collections devoted to cultural heritage were enlarged and the museum became the Bangkok National Museum. There are 38 national museums throughout the country included in a museum network divided into four categories: regional, site, provincial and monastery. |
| The Bangkok National Museum is dedicated to preserving the national cultural heritage through collections of art, archaeological and cultural objects in the Palace of Wang Na compound near the Grand Palace. The Gallery of Thai History is located in the Sivamokhaphiman Hall, with the Prehistory Galley at the rear of the building. The History of Art collection is displayed in the South and North Wings and the Minor arts, Royal Cremation Chariots and Ceremonial Objects are exhibited nearby in other buildings within the palace compound. |
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