Phetchaburi Road ( th, ถนนเพชรบุรี, ) is a main road of
Bangkok
Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...
. It starts at
Yommarat Intersection near
Yommarat Railway Halt and
Uruphong Intersection and ends at
Khlong Tan Intersection, passing through four
districts
A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...
,
Dusit,
Ratchathewi
Ratchathewi ( th, ราชเทวี, ) is a district in central Bangkok, Thailand. Clockwise from the north, its neighboring districts are Phaya Thai, Din Daeng, Huai Khwang, Watthana, Pathum Wan and Dusit.
History
The district was part o ...
,
Huai Khwang
Huai Khwang ( th, ห้วยขวาง, ) is one of the 50 districts (khet) of Bangkok, Thailand. It is east of the city centre. Neighbouring districts are Chatuchak, Wang Thonglang, Bang Kapi, Suan Luang, Watthana, Ratchathewi, and Din D ...
, and
Suan Luang. Its length is about .
The road runs near places such as
Pratunam Intersection,
Pantip Plaza
Pantip Plaza is an indoor IT shopping mall located on New Phetchaburi Road in Ratchathewi district, Bangkok, Thailand. It has branch locations in Nonthaburi, in Bangkapi, and in Chiang Mai.
Stores
The mall has two anchors, IT City, which oc ...
,
Platinum Fashion Mall
The Platinum Fashion Mall is a five billion baht (100 million euro) shopping mall in Pratunam, Bangkok, Thailand, which specializes in fashion clothes and accessories retail and wholesale. It is a six-storey complex with an 11-storey condominium ...
,
Embassy of The Republic of Indonesia,
Tourism Authority of Thailand
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) ( th, การท่องเที่ยวแห่งประเทศไทย) is an organization of Thailand under the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. Its mandate is to promote Thailand's tourism in ...
(TAT), and Saint Dominic School.
It was built in July 1905 during the reign of King
Chulalongkorn
Chulalongkorn ( th, จุฬาลงกรณ์, 20 September 1853 – 23 October 1910) was the fifth monarch of Siam under the House of Chakri, titled Rama V. He was known to the Siamese of his time as ''Phra Phuttha Chao Luang'' (พร ...
(Rama V) starting at the end of Ko Suea Road (ถนนคอเสื้อ; lit: 'collar road'; today's Phitsanulok Road) and terminating at
Pratunam
Pratunam, written as Pratu Nam ( th, ประตูน้ำ, ), is an intersection and neighborhood in Bangkok. It is located in Thanon Phaya Thai sub-district, Ratchathewi district. It is the intersection of Phetchaburi, Ratchadamri and Ratch ...
. It was originally called "Pra Chae Chin Road" (ถนนประแจจีน; 'Chinese decorative design road') after a type of
Chinese porcelain
Chinese ceramics show a continuous development since pre-dynastic times and are one of the most significant forms of Chinese art and ceramics globally. The first pottery was made during the Palaeolithic era. Chinese ceramics range from construc ...
, one of the most popular collections in that era. Later on 16 February 1919, 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) bestowed the new name of the Phetchaburi Road. The name honors one of the members of the
Thai royal family
The Chakri dynasty ( th, ราชวงศ์ จักรี, , , ) is the current reigning dynasty of the Kingdom of Thailand, the head of the house is the king, who is head of state. The family has ruled Thailand since the founding of the ...
,
Valaya Alongkorn
Valaya Alongkorn, Princess of Phetchaburi ( th, วไลยอลงกรณ์; ; 16 April 1884 – 15 February 1938), was a princess of Siam (later Thailand), and a member of the Chakri dynasty. She was the daughter of King Chulalongkorn ...
, Princess of
Phetchaburi
Phetchaburi ( th, เพชรบุรี, ) or Phet Buri () is a town (''thesaban mueang'') in southern Thailand, capital of Phetchaburi Province. In Thai, Phetchaburi means "city of diamonds" (''buri'' meaning "city" in Sanskrit). It is approx ...
.
In 1962, the road was extended from Pratunam to the end of the Khlong Tan, officially opening the following year. This section of the road is often unofficially called "New Phetchaburi Road" (ถนนเพชรบุรีตัดใหม่). New Phetchaburi Road became infamous in the 1960s and early-1970s for its "American strip" of bars, massage parlours, brothels, and clubs frequented by US
GIs on leave from Vietnam.
On the night of 24 September 1990, a serious accident occurred in New Phetchaburi Road near the intersection with
Witthayu Road
Witthayu Road from above
Witthayu Road ( th, ถนนวิทยุ, , ), commonly known in English as Wireless Road, is a road in Bangkok, located almost entirely in Lumphini Subdistrict of Pathum Wan District.
Witthayu Road originally linke ...
. A gas
tank truck
A tank truck, gas truck, fuel truck, or tanker truck (American English) or tanker (British English) is a motor vehicle designed to carry liquids or gases on roads. The largest such vehicles are similar to railroad tank cars, which are also design ...
overturned, resulting in an explosion of
LPG which caused a great fire. There were hundreds of casualties and deaths.
See more
*
1990 Bangkok gas explosion
The gas explosion on New Phetchaburi Road in Bangkok was a major disaster in Thailand. It took place on 24 September 1990, when a liquid petroleum gas tanker truck crashed on the expressway exit at New Phetchaburi Road, causing large explosions an ...
References
category:Streets in Bangkok
{{coord, 13, 45, 1.57, N, 100, 33, 37.34, E, type:adm3rd_region:TH-10, display=title
category:1905 establishments in Siam
Roads in Thailand