Ministry of Defence Building, Bangkok

Ministry of Defence Building (29 August 2006)


Ministry of Defence Building is a handsome heritage building along Sanam Chai Road in Rattanakosin, Bangkok. It is located across the road from the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew.

The Ministry of Defence Building was built in 1882-1884.Originally, it was called Rong Thahan Na, meaning "Front Barracks". It stands on the site of three former royal palaces constructed by King Rama I (1782-1809), namely the Thanon Lak Muang Palace No.2 for his son Prince Thap, Thanon Lak Muang Palace No. 4 for Prince Khantharot, and Thanon Lak Muang Palace No. 6 for Prince Damrong Rachanuphap. During the reign of King Rama V, His Majesty ordered the construction of the Rong Thahan Na as residence of soldiers who guard the city. It also served as the warehouse for arms and other military provisions. It was officially opened on 18 July, 1884.

The Ministry of Defence Building was built in the late European architectural style which was popular in late 19th century Bangkok. It has a front portico supported by six columns. On the pediment is the crest of the Defence Ministry. On the compound in front of the building are ancient cannons from different periods of Thai history, symbols of power of the military.

Getting there

The Ministry of Defence Building is located along Sanam Chai Road, opposite the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. It is not a tourist sight of considerable interest, but if you are in the neighborhood, it is good to take a look at it.

List of Historic Buildings in Bangkok; list of Districts of Bangkok

 Latest updates on Penang Travel Tips

 Discover with Timothy YouTube Channel

 PG Food Channel

 Learn Penang Hokkien YouTube Channel

SojiMart Videos

 Share your travels and/or ask a travel-related question

Join the Penang Travel Tips Facebook Group to share photos, tips and anything related to your travels, or ask travel-related questions.

Map of Roads in Penang

Looking for information on Penang? Use this Map of Roads in Penang to zoom in on information about Penang, brought to you road by road.

Discover with Timothy

Let me take you to explore and discover Penang through my series of walking tours on YouTube. You may use these videos as your virtual tour guide. At the beginning of each video, I provide the starting point coordinates which you may key into your GPS, Google Maps or Waze, to be navigated to where I start the walk, and use the video as your virtual tour guide.

Disclaimer

Please use the information on this page as guidance only. The author endeavours to update the information on this page from time to time, but regrets any inaccuracies if there be any.

Latest from Discover with Timothy: Gurney Bay - what to see and do there

About this website

Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.

Robbie's Roadmap