Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall in Bangkok

A fascinating tourist attraction alongside the traditional Thai architecture in the old city of Bangkok is the western-looking building "Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall", which is of a unique, wonderful Italian architecture. 

Built in the early 19th century, the throne room is the royal reception hall within in Dusit Palace, which was the new palace of King Chulalongkorn or King Rama V (* 1853, + 1910). The king preferred a larger and more modern palace and asked the famous Italian architects Mario Tamagno and Annibale Rigotti to write the blueprint of this marvelous throne hall. It is completely western architecture, Neo-classic and Renaissance style. Mr. Mario Tamagno also designed the Bangkok Railway Station Hua Lamphong.

Ananta Samakhom was made of marble imported from Italy. At the top is the largest dome in the middle, surrounded by six smaller domes. All of them were made of copper and its color changed from red to green through the oxidation process over time. Inside the throne room are frescoes depicting the famous Chankri dynasty or the king's family of famous painters such as Professor Galileo Chini and Carlo Riguli.The constructuion started in 1906 and the building was finishedin 1915, during the reign of King Vajiravudh (Rama VI).

In the time of the absolute monarchy, the throne room was used for the royal ceremonies. After the revolution of democracy in 1935, however, the People's Party used this place as a governmental assembly. Today Ananta Samakhom is a museum and houses the permanent “the Arts of the Kingdom” exhibition, where various kinds of hand made traditional Thai crafts are on display made by people working for the SUPPORT foundation.

The SUPPORT foundation was initiated more than 40 years ago by the Queen of Thailand, Her Majesty Queen Sirikit. It aims to give people in rural areas the skills that provides additional income and also to preserve the Thai traditional handicraft skills and Thai cultural heritage. A wide range of arts and craft items from silk, cotton, carved wood, gold and silver can be seen here, including several rare and unique masterpieces, like the magnificent Suphannapetra golden junk.

Please note the royal premise: 

Politely dresses are regulation. The dress code for ladies is a floor-length skirt and no revelation. Men must wear pants.

Opening hours:

Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall is open every day except Monday from 10 am until 6 pm. It is closed on a number of Thai public holidays like New Years day, Songkran (April 13-15), the King’s birthday (December 5) and the Queen’s birthday (August 12).

Location:

71 Uthong Nai Alley, Khwaeng Dusit, Khet Dusit, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10300