The Royal Palace (official name Haw Kham, ) in
Luang Prabang,
Laos, was built in 1904 during the
French colonial era for
King Sisavang Vong and his family. The site for the palace was chosen so that official visitors to Luang Prabang could disembark from their river voyages directly below the palace and be received there. After the death of King Sisavang Vong, the
Crown Prince
A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wi ...
Savang Vatthana
Sisavang Vatthana ( lo, ພຣະບາທສົມເດັຈພຣະເຈົ້າມະຫາຊີວິຕສີສວ່າງວັດທະນາ) or sometimes Savang Vatthana (full title: Samdach Brhat Chao Mavattaha Sri Vitha Lan X ...
and his family were the last to occupy the grounds. In 1975, the monarchy was overthrown by the communists and the
royal family were taken to
re-education camps. The palace was then converted into a national museum.
The Grounds
![Sisavangvong statue](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f6/Sisavangvong_statue.JPG)
On the palace grounds, there are other buildings surrounding the palace which includes:
*Kitchen/Storage
*Royal Barge Shelter
*Conference Hall
*Haw Pha Bang
*Staff Headquarters
There is a lotus pond and two cannons at the entrance of the palace. A statue of King
Sisavang Vong
King Sisavangvong ( lo, ພຣະບາທສົມເດັຈພຣະເຈົ້າມະຫາຊີວິຕສີສວ່າງວົງສ໌, 14 July 1885 – 29 October 1959) Born Prince Khao , was one of the last kings of Luang Praba ...
is outside the conference hall.
Architecture and furnishings
The architecture of the palace has a mixed of traditional
Lao motifs and French
Beaux Arts styles. It was laid out in a double-cruciform shape with the entrance on one side of the lower crossbar. Above the entrance is a three-headed elephant sheltered by the sacred white parasol, the symbol of the Lao monarchy. The steps to the entrance are made of
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
marble. There are royal religious objects on display in the large Entrance Hall.
On the right of the entrance is the King's reception room, where busts of the
Luang Phrabang
Luang Phabang, ( Lao: ຫລວງພະບາງ/ ຫຼວງພະບາງ) or ''Louangphabang'' (pronounced ), commonly transliterated into Western languages from the pre-1975 Lao spelling ຫຼວງພຣະບາງ (ຣ = silent r) ...
and, later, Lao monarchs are displayed along with two large gilded and lacquered
Ramayana
The ''Rāmāyana'' (; sa, रामायणम्, ) is a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic composed over a period of nearly a millennium, with scholars' estimates for the earliest stage of the text ranging from the 8th ...
screens, crafted by the local artisan
Thit Tanh. The walls are covered with murals that depict scenes from traditional Lao lifestyles, painted in 1930 by a
French artist,
Alix de Fauntereau. Each of the walls is intended to be viewed at a different time of day, depending on the light that enters the windows on one side of the room, which matches the time of day depicted.
In the right front corner room of the palace, which opens to the outside, is a collection of the palace's most prized art, including the
Phra Bang
The Phra Bang ("Royal Buddha Image in the Dispelling Fear mudra"), Lao ( ພະ + ບາງ) is the palladium of Laos. The Lao-language name for the image has been transliterated in a number of ways, including "Pra Bang," "Prabang," "Phabang" and ...
, cast of a gold, silver and bronze alloy. This
Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism.
According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in L ...
stands 83 cm tall and weighs around 50 kg. Legend has it that the statue was made around the 1st century in
Sri Lanka and was later gifted by the Khmer king to his son-in-law :
King Fa Ngum in 1359.
The Siamese twice took the image to Thailand in 1779 and 1827, but it was returned to Laos by
King Mongkut
Mongkut ( th, มงกุฏ; 18 October 18041 October 1868) was the fourth monarch of Siam (Thailand) under the House of Chakri, titled Rama IV. He ruled from 1851 to 1868. His full title in Thai was ''Phra Bat Somdet Phra Menthora Ramathibo ...
in 1867. There are rumours that the one on display is a copy and the original is stored in
Vientiane
Vientiane ( , ; lo, ວຽງຈັນ, ''Viangchan'', ) is the capital and largest city of Laos. Vientiane is divided administratively into 9 cities with a total area of only approx. 3,920 square kilometres and is located on the banks of ...
or
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...
. It is said the real one had gold leaf over the eyes and a hole drilled through one of its ankle. Also in the room are another Buddha, engraved with large elephant tusks, and three beautiful
saew mâi khán (embroidered silk screens with religious imagery) that were crafted by the Queen.
On the left of the Entrance Hall, the secretary's reception room is filled with paintings, silver and china that have been presented to Laos as diplomatic gifts from
Myanmar
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
,
Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailan ...
,
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
,
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
, Hungary, Russia, Japan,
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
, China,
Nepal
Nepal (; ne, :ne:नेपाल, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in S ...
, United States, Canada and Australia. These objects are grouped by "socialist" and "capitalist" countries. One exhibit donated by the USA is a piece of moon rock obtained by an Apollo mission.
The next room to the left was once the Queen's reception room. Large royal portraits of
King Savang Vatthana,
Queen Khamphoui and
Crown Prince
A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wi ...
Vong Savang, painted by
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
artist
Ilya Glazunov
Ilya Sergeyevich Glazunov (russian: Илья́ Серге́евич Глазуно́в; 10 June 1930 – 9 July 2017) was a Soviet and Russian artist from Saint Petersburg. He was the founder of the Russian Academy of Painting, Sculpture and Arc ...
in 1967, are hung on the walls. There are friendship flags from China and Vietnam and replicas of sculpture from the
National Museum, New Delhi
The National Museum in New Delhi, also known as the National Museum of India, is one of the largest museums in India. Established in 1949, it holds a variety of articles ranging from pre-historic era to modern works of art. It functions under t ...
.
In the far rooms are the
royal family's bedrooms and living quarters. The bedrooms have been preserved as they were in 1975 when the
King
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
was forced from the palace. There is a dining hall and a room that contains royal seals and medals.
The
Throne Room
A throne room or throne hall is the room, often rather a hall, in the official residence of the crown, either a palace or a fortified castle, where the throne of a senior figure (usually a monarch) is set up with elaborate pomp—usually raised, ...
contains the
Crown Jewels of Laos.
Gallery
File:Palais-Musée.JPG, The front view of the palace
File:Luang Prabang Museum.jpg, The Haw Pha Bang
File:20171111 Luang Prabang National Museum 1327 DxO.jpg, Luang Prabang National Museum
File:Buddhist temple at Royal Palace in Luang Prabang.jpg, Temple at Royal Palace
File:La-luang-palast.jpg,
Literature
*
*
External links
Photos of Luang Prabang's Royal Palace MuseumAsia for Visitors information
{{Royal palaces in Laos
Palaces in Laos
Royal residences in Laos
Museums in Laos
History museums
Buildings and structures in Luang Prabang