Siriraj Bimuksthan en

Lat Bangkok is a canal which was built during the reign of King Chairachathirat in order to create a shortcut in the Chao Phraya River which curved along the vast, horseshoe-shaped land known as the “Bangkok neighborhood”. As time went by, the strong current caused Lat Bangkok canal to expand and become part of the Chao Phraya River as seen today. As for the old river, it became shallower, narrower and smaller in size until it has finally turned into Bangkok Noi canal, Chak Phra canal and Bang Khun Si canal which eventually meet Bangkok Yai canal near Wichai Prasit Fort.

Bangkok Noi is an old waterfront community. Despite the fact that people in this area are of different races and religions, they have been living together peacefully. Their ancestors used their wisdom to create a great variety of arts which have descended for hundreds of years from the Ayutthaya era, Thonburi era until nowadays.

When King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke (Rama I) established Rattanakosin as the capital of Siam, he appointed his nephew Chaofa Krom Luang Anurak Deves as Krom Phra Rajawang Bovorn Sthanbimuk to rule over the Rear Palace of which territory started from the mouth of Bangkok Noi canal and ended at Wat Rakhang Khositaram in order to protect the city from the invasion of enemies who came from the north. The whole area has served different purposes in different periods. The only thing that hardly ever changes is the people in this area who have always regarded themselves as “Wang Lang people.”

In 1900, King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) ordered the construction of the terminus of the Southern Line on the piece of land adjacent to Bangkok Noi canal. This route was considered the most important and most difficult railway to build. Siam had to lose some of the country’s benefits to construct this Southern railway which later helped facilitate both transportation and logistics and contributed to the economic advancement of the Southern cities. This railway was also the government’s tool to strengthen its administrative power over the major cities in the Malay peninsula.

Siriraj Hospital is the first royal hospital of Siam, the beginning of patient treatment with modern medicine which has continued until today. Siriraj Hospital has also developed Thai traditional medicine which is the wisdom of Thai ancestors together with the use of the state-of-the-art healthcare technologies for all Thai people. Such accomplishment leads Siriraj Hospital to becoming Southeast Asia’s center of medicine.