The 22 July Circle ( th, วงเวียน 22 กรกฎาคม, ) is a

traffic circle A roundabout is a type of circular intersection (road), intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junction.''The N ...

in Thailand. It's an intersection of Maitri Chit, Santiphap and Mittraphan roads in

Pom Prap Pom Prap ( th, ป้อมปราบ, ) is one of five ''khwaengs'' (subdistricts) of Pom Prap Sattru Phai district, Bangkok. In February 2019 it had a total population of 15,440 people (7,444 men, 7,956 women). The majority of the population c ...

subdistrict,

Pom Prap Sattru Phai district Pom Prap Sattru Phai ( th, ป้อมปราบศัตรูพ่าย, , or popularly just called Pom Prap, ) is one of the Districts of Bangkok, 50 districts (khet) of Bangkok, Thailand. Neighbouring districts are (from north clockwise) ...

, Bangkok.

History

22 July Circle was built on 24 January 1918 to commemorate the occasion of Thailand's participation in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, which was the royal intention of

King Vajiravudh Vajiravudh ( th, วชิราวุธ, , 1 January 188126 November 1925) was the sixth monarch of Siam under the Chakri dynasty as Rama VI. He ruled from 23 October 1910 until his death in 1925. King Vajiravudh is best known for his efforts ...

(Rama VI), the

king of Thailand The monarchy of Thailand (whose monarch is referred to as the king of Thailand; th, พระมหากษัตริย์ไทย, or historically, king of Siam; th, พระมหากษัตริย์สยาม) refers to the c ...

at the time. Under his directives, the Ministry of Public Works of Siam constructed many roads in that area. King Vajiravudh also gave names to other roads nearby, such as Suea Pa or

Phlapphla Chai road Phlapphla Chai ( th, พลับพลาไชย, ) is the name of a road in Bangkok's Pom Prap and Wat Thep Sirin sub-districts, Pom Prap Sattru Phai District, and also the five-way intersection of the road with Luang and Maitri Chit Roads. I ...

s. In the following reign of his brother, King Prajadhipok, the three roads branching from the 22 July Circle were intentionally named to stress Siam's participation in WWI on the side of the Allied powers: "Maitri Chit" means friendship, "Mittraphan" was intended to signified the Allied powers, and "Santiphap" means peace. The name "22 July" comes from the date Thailand declared war, which corresponds to 22 July 1917.

Characteristics

At the center of the roundabout is a

fountain A fountain, from the Latin "fons" (genitive "fontis"), meaning source or Spring (hydrology), spring, is a decorative reservoir used for discharging water. It is also a structure that jets water into the air for a decorative or dramatic effect. ...

with a small

public park An urban park or metropolitan park, also known as a municipal park (North America) or a public park, public open space, or municipal gardens ( UK), is a park in cities and other incorporated places that offer recreation and green space to re ...

for people to rest. The surrounding area is home to many

billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

advertising board An advertising board, or A-board, is usually a term reserved for the advertising hoardings seen at association football matches, although there are other more general forms such as billboards and posters A poster is a large sheet that is pla ...

shophouses A shophouse is a building type serving both as a residence and a commercial business. It is defined in dictionary as a building type found in Southeast Asia that is "a shop opening on to the pavement and also used as the owner's residence", a ...

, including tire and car spare parts shops and many famous restaurants. It has also been known for years as another district of Bangkok's sex industry. 22 July Circle is considered one of the circuits in

Bangkok's Chinatown Bangkok's Chinatown is one of the largest Chinatowns in the world. It was founded in 1782 when the city was established as the capital of the Rattanakosin Kingdom, and served as the home of the mainly Teochew immigrant Chinese population, who ...

like another roundabout,

Odeon Circle Odeon Circle and Chinese gate., 300px Odeon Circle or Wongwian Odeon ( th, วงเวียนโอเดียน, ; zh, 崇聖牌樓; pinyin: ''Chóng shèng páilóu'') is a roundabout in Bangkok. It is the intersection of Yaowarat, Charoen ...

Yaowarat Yaowarat Road ( th, ถนนเยาวราช, ; ) in Samphanthawong District is the main artery of Bangkok's Chinatown. Modern Chinatown now covers a large area around Yaowarat and Charoen Krung Road. It has been the main centre for trading ...

road. It is close to many important places such as Bangkok railway station (Hua Lamphong), Wat Phlapphla Chai, Wat Thepsirin, the Maitrichit Chinese Baptist Church, the first Protestant church in Thailand, and

Wat Khanikaphon Wat Khanikaphon ( th, วัดคณิกาผล) is a Thai private temple in the Maha Nikaya tradition of Buddhism, It is at Phlapphla Chai, Khwaeng Pom Prap, Pom Prap Sattru Phai District, Bangkok, in front of the Phlapphla Chai police stat ...

, including

Poh Teck Tung Foundation The Poh Teck Tung Foundation ( th, มูลนิธิป่อเต็กตึ๊ง, from zh, t=華僑報德善堂, p=Huáqiáo Bàodé shàntáng) is a rescue foundation founded in Thailand famously known for rescuing road accident victims ...

's headquarters. In addition, it was also a popular place to observe the total solar eclipse on 22 July 2009.

References

External links

July 22nd Circle
from

Wikimapia Wikimapia is a geographic online encyclopedia project. The project implements an interactive "clickable" web map that utilizes Google Maps with a geographically-referenced wiki system, with the aim to mark and describe all geographical objects ...

{{coord, 13, 44, 31, N, 100, 30, 48, E, display=title category:Buildings and structures in Bangkok Pom Prap Sattru Phai district category:Road junctions in Bangkok 1918 establishments in Siam category:Monuments and memorials in Thailand World War I memorials