Pratunam, written as Pratu Nam ( th, ประตูน้ำ, ), is an intersection and neighborhood in
Bangkok
Bangkok, officially known in 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 estimated populatio ...
. It is located in Thanon Phaya Thai sub-district,
Ratchathewi district. It is the intersection 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 ...
,
Ratchadamri
Ratchadamri Road ( th, ถนนราชดำริ, , ; also spelled Rajdamri) is a road in Bangkok. It runs a distance of in a north–south direction from Pratu Nam Intersection, where it meets Phetchaburi and Ratchaprarop Roads, to Sala D ...
and
Ratchaprarop roads. The next intersection on Ratchaprarop side is
Makkasan
Makkasan ( th, มักกะสัน, ) is the name of an intersection and the surrounding neighbourhood in Bangkok's Ratchathewi district. It is one of the 180 sub-districts in Bangkok. Makkasan Intersection is divided into two closely located ...
.
The term "Pratunam" means "
water gate
A watergate (or water gate) is a fortified gate, leading directly from a castle or town wall directly on to a quay, river side or harbour. In medieval times it enabled people and supplies to reach the castle or fortification directly from the ...
", as at one time there was a water gate within nearby
Sa Pathum Palace
Sa Pathum Palace ( th, วังสระปทุม, ) is a royal residence in Pathum Wan District, Bangkok, Thailand. It has been a residence of the Thai Royal Family, especially the House of Mahidol, since the 19th century, and is the officia ...
, which commonly was known as ''Pratunam Wang Sa Pathum'' or ''Pratunam Sa Pathum'' (ประตูน้ำวังสระปทุม, ประตูน้ำสระปทุม). This water gate was built by
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) in the year 1905 to drain water from the
Khlong Saen Saep (Saen Saep canal) to distribute to the people, both for agriculture, and water levelling
for boating and rafting. There are two other water gates in
Chachoengsao province
Chachoengsao ( th, ฉะเชิงเทรา, ) is one of Thailand's seventy-six provinces (''changwat''), located in eastern Thailand.
History
''Chachoengsao'' or ''Paet Riu'' ('eight stripes') is a province in eastern Thailand. It has a ...
which were built in the same period.
Currently, Pratunam is widely known as a prominent shopping district. There are many shopping centers and department stores in the area such as
Platinum Fashion Mall,
Pratunam Market
Pratunam Market () is one of Bangkok's major markets, and is Thailand's largest clothing market. The name ''Pratunam'' means 'water gate'.
Overview
The market includes retail stores and outdoor stalls, the latter aimed at tourists. It is at th ...
,
CentralWorld
CentralWorld ( th, เซ็นทรัลเวิลด์, styled as centralwOrld) is a shopping plaza and complex in Bangkok, Thailand. It is the ninth largest shopping complex in the world. The complex, which includes a hotel and office t ...
,
Big C
Big C ( th, บิ๊กซี ซูเปอร์เซ็นเตอร์), is a grocery and general merchandising retailer headquartered in Bangkok, Thailand. Big C is as of 2016 Thailand's second-largest hypermarket operator after Lotus's ...
Supercenter (Big C Rajdamri), etc. In addition, it is also one of the most important transportation routes in Bangkok. It is close to two other important intersections viz
Ratchaprasong
Ratchaprasong ( th, ราชประสงค์, ; also spelled ''Rajprasong'') is the name of an intersection, and a shopping district named after it, in Pathum Wan District, Bangkok, adjacent to the Siam area, at the BTS Skytrain's Chit ...
and Pathum Wan, and is also a pier for
Khlong Saen Saep boat service
The Khlong Saen Saep boat service is a water bus operating on the Saen Saep Canal in Bangkok through the city's commercial districts. The Khlong Saen Saep boat service has been in operation since 1990.
The 18 kilometre route is served by 10 ...
.
References
{{Reflist
External links
Pratunamfrom
Wikivoyage
Road junctions in Bangkok
Neighbourhoods of Bangkok
Ratchathewi district
Shopping districts and streets in Thailand