Phrae Attractions & History

[DavidFL]

Phrae Attractions

Moved from

The Free Thai / Seri Thai Museum - Phrae

From Wikepedia: The Free Thai Movement(Thai:; RTGS: Khabuan Kan Seri Thai) was a Thai underground resistance movement against Imperial Japan during World War II. Seri Thai were an important source of military intelligence for the Allies in the region, and were notable for being the only World...

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Khum Chao Luang Muang Phrae, the ex-residence of the Phrae governor.

and was built in 1893 by Chao Luang Piriyathepawong. The building is a mixture of Thai and European architecture, that was popular in the reign of King Chulalongkorn.

It is a magnificent building, with a total of 72 doors and windows. The eaves and other parts of the building are decorated with beautiful woodcarvings. The roof is covered with wooden tiles, and there are no gables.

The style is of a hip-roofed house, with a square portico projecting out in the front of the building. Formerly, it had two stairways at the sides of the building, on the north and south. But these have been dismantled, and now there are only stairways in the front and back.

The building is made of bricks and traditional cement, and is two-storied, without foundation posts, but with hardwood logs interred horizontally to support all the posts of the house.

Inside the Khum there is an old stable which was later used as the provincial school for boys, called Khokma School.

The Khum was also the Regional Area Command for Bangkok soldiers for a period of time, when the soldiers came to keep the peace after the Thai Yai rebellion, which had overrun Phrae, was suppressed.

Their Majesties, the current King and Queen, stayed in the Khum when they visited the province of Phrae from 15 to 17 March 1958.

This Khum won an Eminent Architecture Award from Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn in the category of institute and public buildings in 1993. At present it is opened to the public as a museum.

There is a basement that was used as a prison for detaining slaves who committed the severe offenses. The central rooms were dark windowless for serious offenders & the rooms on the left and right with light were used for petty offenders. There is an interesting photographic display of the methods of detention & punishment, including hanging & decapitation.

Phrae has a very strong conservation movement & has 20 odd museums, but sadly for which more than half have no English info.
The governor's residence records some of Phrae's history & local culture. It is worth a look if you are at all interested in local culture, history & traditions.

Info on the local temples.

Local items for everyday use

Local textiles

evidence of the pride in the local architecture is a magnifcent book Houses That Speak To US, on 11 houses in Phrae

the book has wonderful photos, plans of the houses; plus histories of the families still living in them.
If you're at all interested classic old Thai buildings & houses, don't miss Phrae & the governor's museum. You could easily spend 3 days in Phrae looking at this history alone.

Phrae also has a history of teak logging

AND
the basement prison has some fascinating pics of why it would have been better not to mis-behave in those days gone by

the gallows

decapitation??

an old meaning to playing ball

The execution "chamber"

you all behave now..

 

[DavidFL]

Phrae Attractions - Phae Muang (Meuang) Phi forest park

Phae Muang (Meuang) Phi forest park is sometimes referred to as Thailand's Grand Canyon.
Located 8 kms East-South-east of town, Muang Phi - "the City of Ghosts" is noted for its chimney or mushroom rock formations, caused by erosion.

 

[DavidFL]

Phrae Attractions continued.

Wat Phra That Cho Hae

Is one of Thailand's most important temples & is considered a 'must visit' for Buddhists who go to Phrae.
Thai Buddhists traditionally walk around the Cho Hae chedi three times in order to pay homage; believing that it will bring good luck, especially for those born in the Thai year of tiger.

Built in 1879 - 1881, the 33 metre high Chiang Saen style chedi was made of bricks and covered with bright brass sheets.
The chedi supposedly contains some of Buddha's hair "relics."

The name Cho Hae comes from fine silk woven in Sip Song Panna first used to wrap around the Chedi when it was constructed.

A revered Buddha image in the temple viharn is said to increase a woman's fertility.

 

[DavidFL]

Phrae Attractions continued..

The Chao Nhan Chaiwong House

what a classic beauty.

 

[DavidFL]

Phrae Attractions continued..

Wat Pong Sanun

 

[DavidFL]

Phrae Attractions continued....

Wat Luang

Wat Luang is the oldest temple in Phrae, built in 829, by King Luang Phon.

The current buildings are not original. The earliest existing structure is the octagonal chedi, known as the Phra That Luang Chai Chang Kham 'The Great Relic Chedi Supported By Elephants', was last rebuilt in 1336 on top of an earlier form.

The Chedi enshrines a Holy Relic brought over from Myanmar.

A museum houses various antiquities that include 500-year-old Buddha statues.

The viharn-ubosot, dates from 1872, is the largest hall on the grounds of the wat. It contains a Buddha image that is a bronze replica of the original gold statue plundered in 1902 during the Shan rebellion.

 

[DavidFL]

More Phrae attractions

Wat Phra Youn

and a reminder that you really need to photograph temples in the morning with the sun shining on the face of the temple. Otherwise in the afternoon you end up photographing the chedis & backs of the temples.

Narirat School

The old walls of Phrae

Phrae Ancient City History

The ancient city of Phrae was probably built in the 11th century. It was a small city but once had close relationships with Sukhothai and Sri Sachanalai in the south, and became a dependent of Sukhothai twice in its history, during the reigns of King Ramkamhaeng and King Phaya Li Thai, early Kings of Sukhothai. In consequence, the architecture of Phrae was influenced by Sukhothai. In 1443 the city was annexed to the Lan Na Kingdom by King Tilokaraja, and much of the architecture was replaced in the style of Lan Na.

Phrae was built in the shape of a conch shell, and is 1,500 by 900 meters. It is situated on the eastern bank of the Yom River, and enclosed by a single city wall. Outside the city the wall is earthen, with bricks and cement added to the edges around the gates. Most of the wall and the gates are still in good condition.

Phrae City Wall

The earthen ridges surrounded the city were called “Meka” (or clouds). These ridges are the city wall about 5 meters high, 10 meters wide, surrounded the city with the length of 1,400 meters and the width of 800 meters. There is a ditch next to the earthen ridges, called Nam (water). It is about 10 meters wide, surrounded the city wall in the northeast, east, and southeast. The other directions are closed to Kam river, serving as the natural ditch about 1,000 meters long. In the old days, there were 4 city gates, i.e. Chai Gate, Sri Chum Gate, Yung Mah or Horse Gate, and Mara Gate. The gates were big enough only for elephants and carts to pass through.

 

[DavidFL]

Phrae Attractions continued

Vonburi House

The house belonged to a former nobleman, built in 1897 by Lord Phrom (Luang Phongphibun) and Lady Sunanta Wongburi, a daughter of Lord Buri (Phraya Burirat), a forest concessionaire. The house is a two-storey wooden Thai-European style building with gingerbread carving designs. It was built by a Cantonese artisan with Thai assistants. It took three years to build and was connected with another house built during the time of Lady Buatha Mahayotpanya, the first wife of Lord Phiriyathepwong, the last Phrae ruler. It is located on a 1,000 m2 plot with 20 rooms.

Before the house was opened to the public, it received many visitors on a regular basis, and was published in magazines and was also a movie location. It was popularized nationwide when it appeared on the cover of a travel magazine in November 1992. The owner decided to open it to the public in October 1997.

The house displays the personal belongings and photographs of the previous owners, silverware, pottery, ancient weaponry, Chiang Saen and Sukhothai-style Buddha images, and rare official documents, e.g., a certificate of appointment from King Rama V, 49 copies of slave contracts, forest concession certificates and certificates of elephants and cows. Next to the house is a silverware factory, produced by local silversmiths. The products, together with other handicrafts, are also for sale.
The house received the Outstanding Conservation Award in 1993 by the Siam Architect Society under Royal Patronage.

An absolute magnificent building, steeped in history & well worth checking out when in Phrae.
Don't miss it!

 

[DavidFL]

Phrae attractions continued

Wat Phra Non

Wat Phra Non, the Monastery of the Reclining Buddha, is considered to be a classic example of Phrae religious architecture.
Most notable is the structure housing the reclining Buddha. Instead of windows, the sides of the structure are illuminated by long, narrow openings called Chong Lom (wind gaps), surmounted by cross-shaped openings. This design permits ample illumination while minimizing the amount of direct sunlight entering the structure during the hot summer months.

 

[DavidFL]

Phrae Attractions continued..

Pottering round Phrae a bit more - a delightful town full of surprises.

The Pung Tao Kong Shrine that serves as a symbol of the Chinese people’s settlement in Phrae

The original shrine was in a small house, that also had a Chinese language school.

In 1962 the school moved out to what is now the Charoensilpa School & a new shrine was built, financed by donations.

This lasted 47 years until 2007, by which time the shrine needed rebuilding yet again.
In 2009 the new shrine was opened.

Night time the Phrae city centre roundabout

 

[DavidFL]

Phrae Attractions continued..

Wat Sra Baw Keo.

A Burmese – Shan style temple made of golden teak was originally built in 1876.

At the time there were many Burmese people in Phrae working for the English East Asiatic Company that had the logging concession for the area.

The Buddhist Burmese people had trouble communicating with the Thai monks, so they had their own temple built & brought an abbot from Burma.

The temple was reconstructed in 1909.

An interesting wat with a difference

Wat Chom Sawan
The other famous Burmese - Shan style wat in Phrae is Wat Chom Sawan, also built during the reign of King Rama 5

After the Shan rebellion in 1902, the temple was left to decay but restored again & in 1990 the Fine Arts department registered the temple as a historical site with valuable artifacts.

The precious items are
1. Buddhist inscriptions which were carved in Burmese characters on 16 sheets of ivory.
2. A Buddha image made of bamboo and covered with gold leaf.

 

[DavidFL]

Phrae Attractions continued..

Phrae the classic town is full of museums & people proud of their culture & history.
There is a very strong conservation movement to retain the old buildings, houses & history of Phrae, & not let it all be knocked down & concrete shop houses be erected.
The town definitely wants to retain its charm & character.

Ban Thep Museum

Another new beauty is the Ban Thep Museum

With a private collection of century + antiquities

Recently opened it is a work in progress, but already with an amazing collection of ancient items.
These include Chinese inlaid pearl, furniture, armour, gongs & Lanna bells, drums, porcelain & clocks ++

It's a highly impressive collection & probably the best you can see in the North.

Very old bank notes

Ancient coins & currencies

Beautiful old Buddhas

Old lanterns & porcelain

Old police helmet & gun

Ancient pipes

Some furniture

old cabinets & a display of 100 year old + cloth for dancing costumes

An ancient betel nut set of utensils

A massive carved tree trunk

A 100 year + Chinese door, from Khampaeng Phet

The proud owner upstairs in the storeroom with pieces yet to be displayed.

A nice swinging seat made from one piece of timber.

The entrance to the museum with massive teak wood doors

There's almost too much - the collection is over powering.
So if you're at all interested in some culture & history, check out the Ban Thep Museum in Phrae.

Baan Thep Museum · 44WV+GMH, Nai Wiang, Mueang Phrae District, Phrae 54000, Thailand

âââââ · Museum

goo.gl

Rob Muang Street, right next to the prison.

 

[DavidFL]

Phrae Attractions continued..

The Forestry Dept Teak Museum.

The Teak Museum or the Museum of Forest, the 1st Training Center (Phrae) is located at the 1st Training Center (Phrae) under the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation. The museum consists of three buildings made from teak situated in the area of 6 Rais which were the estate of the East Asiatic Company from Denmark. The company was under a teak concession granted to operate in the area along the Yom River in the reign of King Rama V. These buildings were used as the office building and the residence for executives and officers of the company.

The Museum # 2 is the main exhibition building that is open.

the museum has a collection of teak items

plus a stack of old photos showing the glorious logging days of Phrae.

And the amount of timber was staggering

A copy of the original lease for the logging

The manager of the day

The weapon of the day

an elephant howdah

well worth checking out sometime in Phrae.

à¸à¸´à¸à¸´à¸à¸ ัà¸à¸à¹à¹à¸¡à¹à¸ªà¸±à¸ · 44QP+R6Q, Nai Wiang, Mueang Phrae District, Phrae 54000, Thailand

Museum

maps.app.goo.gl

See also

Tracking The Teak That Transformed Thailand

One hundred years ago the second largest export of then Siam was teak and this industry helped shape modern Thailand. It also left behind some beautiful architecture.

siamrat.blog

 

[DavidFL]

Phrae Attractions continued..

The Khum Wichai Racha House

built over 100 years ago, but now a tragic failed restoration project & repossessed by the bank.

In the early 90s it was in a dilapidated state

& bought by Veera Star, a retired 66 year old Vietnam war Veteran from Bangkok, who fell in love with the house.

Veera's plan was to return the house to it's former glory.

The house once belonged to the chief of Phrae, when the province was being integrated into Siam.

When the Shan rebellion was under way against the rulers from Bangkok, the provincial chief hid native Bangkok workers in the house to save them being lynched by the Shan.
In WW2 it was used by the Seri Thai resistance for planning attacks against the Japanese.

In recent years the owners were unable to maintain the house & it went to ruin.

Then Veera bought it. His dream was to renovate it & restore it to its former glory as a piece of Phrae history.

But the costs were too great & even after selling of his 10 properties in Bangkok & elsewhere Vera was still short. Veera borrowed money, pleaded for help from the Fine Arts Department, but eventually the banks closed in & repossessed the property. The debt owed = 10 million baht & the house stands "abandoned."

Wichai Ratcha residence · 44RQ+73H, Wichai Racha Rd, Nai Wiang, Mueang Phrae District, Phrae 54000, Thailand

âââââ · Historical landmark

goo.gl

Wichai Racha House is in the same street as the Vongburi House. Vonburi House is well sign posted in Phrae.

 

[Ian Bungy]

Bloody Shame! Beautifully Built! Wood requires such a Big amount of Upkeep! The Huge one on the Water Front in Phayao is still being Restored. They have been Working on that one for Years! Sad for the Guy to Lose everything when Trying to Preserve the Past for everyone's Benefit!

 

[ianyonok]

Wonderful info, David. Thanks for putting all that together.
Phrae is such an interesting province and now I have several more places on the list, to visit now.

Last time I was there, I did find the original 100 year old Phrae Christian Hospital. It looks beyond restoration unfortunately.
The modern hospital is easy to find and set in huge grounds with many old buildings tucked away behind the back. But I had to ask several people in the hospital where the old building was, before anyone could tell me where it was. It is actually less than 100m away, to the side of the new hospital, but completely abandoned.

The entrance bridge

A safe that has been gas-axed to gain access.

This appears to be a much later built emergency dept, just used for storage now.

The wheelchair ramp

.

 

[DavidFL]

Wonderful info, David. Thanks for putting all that together.
Phrae is such an interesting province and now I have several more places on the list, to visit now.

Last time I was there, I did find the original 100 year old Phrae Christian Hospital. It looks beyond restoration unfortunately.
The modern hospital is easy to find and set in huge grounds with many old buildings tucked away behind the back. But I had to ask several people in the hospital where the old building was, before anyone could tell me where it was. It is actually less than 100m away, to the side of the new hospital, but completely abandoned.

The entrance bridge
View attachment 113233 View attachment 113234 View attachment 113235
A safe that has been gas-axed to gain access.
View attachment 113236 View attachment 113237 View attachment 113238 View attachment 113239 View attachment 113240 View attachment 113241 View attachment 113242 View attachment 113243 View attachment 113244

This appears to be a much later built emergency dept, just used for storage now.
View attachment 113245

The wheelchair ramp
View attachment 113246
.

Glad you found it.
I had a quick look in a hurry, a couple of weeks ago but could not find it.
I need to go back & look again with more time on my hands.

 

[DavidFL]

Phrae - attractions- the Forestry Dept Teak Museum

The Teak Museum or the Museum of Forest, the 1st Training Center (Phrae) is located at the 1st Training Center (Phrae) under the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation. The museum consists of three buildings made from teak situated in the area of 6 Rais which were the estate of the East Asiatic Company from Denmark. The company was under a teak concession granted to operate in the area along the Yom River in the reign of King Rama V. These buildings were used as the office building and the residence for executives and officers of the company.

The Museum # 2 is the main exhibition building that is open.
View attachment 98728

View attachment 98729

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the museum has a collection of teak items
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plus a stack of old photos showing the glorious logging days of Phrae.
View attachment 98733

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View attachment 98735

View attachment 98736

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And the amount of timber was staggering

View attachment 98738

View attachment 98739

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View attachment 98742

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A copy of the original lease for the logging
View attachment 98744

The manager of the day
View attachment 98745

The weapon of the day
View attachment 98746

an elephant howdah
View attachment 98747

well worth checking out sometime in Phrae.
GPS Waypoint:N18 08.392 E100 08.133

There is outrage in Phrae, the old 120 year old colonial office of the Bombay Burmah Trading Company on the Yom river pier company destroyed, by the Forestry Department!!

Phrae residents cry foul as iconic building razed to ground

They know no shame.
Google Maps

 

[DavidFL]

There is outrage in Phrae, some of the old 120 year old colonial buildings in Phrae have been demolished.
The office of the Bombay Trading Company on the Yom river pier company destroyed

View attachment 136200

Phrae residents cry foul as iconic building razed to ground

View attachment 136201

View attachment 136202

They know no shame.
Google Maps

A report in English on that beautiful building destroyed.

The loss of the old Bombay Burmah Building in Phrae

On 3 August 2019, Siamese Heritage Trust of the Siam Society conducted a study trip “Touching the heritage conservation pulse in Phrae”, brought 21 members to visit many architectural heritage sites of Phrae Old Town. We had a lovely coffee break in a beautiful colonial-style house on the bank of Yom river where we also talked about the vision for cultural heritage management. An amazing local resident, Khun Narumon Wongwan, heir of Former Director of the School of Forestry, explained the significance of the building that it served as an office of Bombay Burmah Trading Company, which was granted a logging concession in the western Yom River in 1889 and the East Asiatic Company occupied the place later on. She pointed at the pier where tons of logs were bond together and some of them were transferred through Chetawan village to other places. It was such a beautiful circumstance, when people’s memory, historical evidence, and cultural landscape were telling the same story.​

​

16 June 2020 we were informed by Khun Narumon that the building was torn down. It was unclear what was happening to this historical building. The Forestry Conservation Area Office 13 that allowed the Siam Society to use this building could not give any useful information. We learned from Bangkok Post later that the office director issued an order to dismantle the building as part of the learning center's renovation project, noting the work was financed by a budget sought in the previous fiscal year. No study was carried out in the restoration of the building.​

​

Notice and suggestions:​

​

- When visited the building 10 months ago, we did not notice that the building is severely damage, so that it needs to be deconstructed. There was no warning at all.​

​

- The office made the project unclear to people and led to a misunderstanding by the vague terms of conservation/renovation/reconstruction. Local people did not expect a dismantling and did not be aware of it. If they would have clearly understood the plan, they would have resisted in the early stage.​

​

- Surprisingly, government officials issued an illegal order, without acknowledgment that even though the building is unregistered and located outside of the designated Old Town area, this kind of historic building is a local, regional, and national heritage by itself and it is a subject to the Act on Ancient Monuments, Antiques, Objects of Art and National Museums, B.E. 2504. This action reflects the lack of heritage protection perspective in the vision and mindset of the leader. This topic should be discussed further, when and how this perspective should it be installed.​

​

- The Siam Society supports that the next process of this renovation project should be more inclusive. The office should open opportunities for residents, and local heritage advocate networks, as well as heritage experts, to become a part of the project working committee.​

​

- The provincial historic listed building system should be installed with a proper mechanism, so that this mismanagement will never happen again anywhere else, and the conservation guidance with respect to the best practices be provided.​

​

- Lastly, a heritage alert platform/application/desk might be useful for people to report right away when they noticed that something wrong is happening to the cultural heritage in their neighborhood. The immediate response could help restrain the situation before it is too late.​

Source: The Siam Society.

 

[ianyonok]

Tragic.
The people who tore it down have now been ordered to rebuild the house.

 

[DKT Dave]

What a great thread. What an amazing city Phrae is. The Baan Thep Museum certainly is a gem of a place, with an amazing owner who showed us around.
It was a pity the Teak Museum wasn’t open.
There are so many interesting places to visit in this town!

 

[DavidFL]

Wonderful info, David. Thanks for putting all that together.
Phrae is such an interesting province and now I have several more places on the list, to visit now.

Last time I was there, I did find the original 100 year old Phrae Christian Hospital. It looks beyond restoration unfortunately.
The modern hospital is easy to find and set in huge grounds with many old buildings tucked away behind the back. But I had to ask several people in the hospital where the old building was, before anyone could tell me where it was. It is actually less than 100m away, to the side of the new hospital, but completely abandoned.

The entrance bridge
View attachment 113233 View attachment 113234 View attachment 113235
A safe that has been gas-axed to gain access.
View attachment 113236 View attachment 113237 View attachment 113238 View attachment 113239 View attachment 113240 View attachment 113241 View attachment 113242 View attachment 113243 View attachment 113244

This appears to be a much later built emergency dept, just used for storage now.
View attachment 113245

The wheelchair ramp
View attachment 113246
.

Catching up to Ian's discoveries in Phrae. I ventured into the "darkest jungly depths" of the Phrae Christian hospital too.
The old building in the hospital grounds is slowly but surely crumbling away & unlikely to be renovated perhaps?
Entry is now forbidden as it is "fenced off."

Or perhaps plans are underway to restore the building, if at all possible?

The steel stairway could be a hint of something going on? Access for what reason?

A stroll around the back doesn't look terribly inspiring.

There is a tree that may need to be dealt with?

Phrae is a gem of an old classic town with so many museums & colonial buildings.
If you're into a bit of history & culture, you can easily spend several days in Phrae!

For Oddvar: 18°08'05.8"N 100°08'43.9"E

 

[DavidFL]

Phrae Attractions continued..

The 100 year old Missionary (Kor Sor Nor) house

This house was once located by the Yom river, in Chetawan village nearby the recently destroyed Bombay Burma forestry house.
In 1883 flooding & river bank erosion forced the relocation of this house & another for safety reasons.
They were dismantled & rebuilt nearby the Phrae Christian hospital.
One of these houses - the Missionary Kor Sor Nor House - has been beautifully restored & has received a Conservation Award in 2012 from the Association of Siamese Architects under Royal Patronage.

Missionary House · 44MV+8RX, Yantrakit Kosol Rd, Nai Wiang, Mueang Phrae District, Phrae 54000, Thailand

Museum

goo.gl

The other dilapidated house in the grounds of the hospital, 200 metres to the east.

18°08'05.8"N 100°08'43.9"E · 18.134944, 100.145528

goo.gl

See also: NO MORE THOUGHTLESS DEMOLITION - art4d

 

[DavidFL]

Phrae Attractions continued.

The Baan Bunma Coffee & At Gallery Museum.

A fascinating place on the family plot of land with a little coffee shop as well.
The owner Khun Paisarn an architect, is a lovely guy who lived in Chiang Mai for a long time, to study & get his degree, but has now returned to look after his what was his dad's place, passion & Buddhist ceremonial artifacts.

The Kitchen still used for everyday use.

Who remembers the light & power switches like these

An interesting tree root lounge set of furniture

It took a lot longer to collect the wood than actually construct the sofa & chairs.

Rare pieces indeed, plus crafted to farang size & comfortable to sit in

For sale @ 70,00 baht should you be interested & have some spare cash in the kitty.

A very interesting little museum & well worth checking out in Phrae.

Baan Bunma Coffee & Art Museum · 175 à¸.รà¹à¸à¸à¸à¹à¸ à¹à¸à¹à¸§à¸µà¸¢à¸ Mueang Phrae District, Phrae 54000, Thailand

âââââ · Coffee shop

goo.gl

 

[DavidFL]

Phrae Attractions continued..​

Wat Sawan Niwet​

Update February 2024: Still fossicking around in Phrae for more attractions - you can never get enough of classic Phrae.

Wat Sawan Niwet has a somewhat impressive colourful man-made cave with multiple caverns & Buddha images.

Wat Sawan Niwet · หมู๠4, à¸à¸³à¸à¸¥à¸à¸¸à¹à¸à¸à¸§à¸²à¸§ à¸à¸³à¹à¸ à¸à¹à¸¡à¸·à¸à¸à¹à¸à¸£à¹ à¸à¸±à¸à¸«à¸§à¸±à¸à¹à¸à¸£à¹, 54000 54000, Thailand

âââââ · Buddhist temple

maps.app.goo.gl