Wang Bang Khun Phrom (วังบางขุนพรหม)

Thai. Name of a former Royal Palace, located on the banks of the Chao Phraya River, within the compound of the Bank of Thailand, and today housing the Bank of Thailand Museum. This grand mansion, in German baroque style and noticeable for its Art Nouveau decorations, was designed by the Italian architect Mario Tamagno and built on the order of King Chulalongkorn for his 33rd son, Chao Fah Boriphat Sukhumphan (เจ้าฟ้าบริพัตรสุขุมพันธ์) , who is also known by the title Prince of Nakhon Sawan. Its construction, supervised by the king's half-brother Prince Damrong Rachanuphaap (fig.), started in 1901 AD and was completed in 1906, after which it was used as the residential palace of Prince Boriphat. After the 1932 revolution, the prince, who reportedly accumulated a personal wealth of more than 3,000 million baht, eventually donated his palace to the Government as ‘his sacrifice to the nation’ or, as is whispered, as a peace offering to the then new ruling clique. From then on, the prince was exiled to Indonesia, where he lived until his death, and the former palace building was used by several government agencies, including the Department of Military Youth, and the National Council of Cultural Affairs. In 1945, the Bank of Thailand started to rent the building to house their offices, until 1960, when the bank's Treasury Department eventually purchased the property. In 1992, the building was restored and converted into a museum, which was officially opened on 9 January 1993, by King Bhumipon Adunyadet. See MAP. 回