Bang Phlat Intersection where Ratchawithi Road ends Ratchawithi Road, also spelled Rajvithi ( th, ถนนราชวิถี, ) is a major road in

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 ...

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 bo ...

. It begins in

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 ...

district at Sam Liam Din Daeng Junction, where it intersects with

Din Daeng Road DIN or Din or din may refer to: People and language * Din (name), people with the name * Dīn, an Arabic word with three general senses: judgment, custom, and religion from which the name originates * Dinka language (ISO 639 code: din), spoken by ...

and Ratchaprarop Road, and runs northwest, past Victory Monument

Circle A circle is a shape consisting of all points in a plane that are at a given distance from a given point, the centre. Equivalently, it is the curve traced out by a point that moves in a plane so that its distance from a given point is const ...

, through Dusit district, and ultimately crossing the

Chao Phraya River The Chao Phraya ( or ; th, แม่น้ำเจ้าพระยา, , or ) is the major river in Thailand, with its low alluvial plain forming the centre of the country. It flows through Bangkok and then into the Gulf of Thailand. Et ...

Krung Thon Bridge Krung Thon Bridge ( th, สะพานกรุงธน, , ) is a bridge over the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, in Thailand, connecting the districts Dusit and Bang Phlat. The bridge has 6 spans, and consists of a steel superstructure resti ...

and ending in

Bang Phlat Bang Phlat ( th, บางพลัด, ) is one of the 50 districts (''khet'') of Bangkok, Thailand. Its neighboring districts, clockwise from the north, are Bang Kruai district, Bang Sue, Dusit, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok Noi, and Taling Chan. H ...

district at Bang Phlat Intersection, where it intersects with Sirindhorn Road and

Charan Sanitwong Road 300px, Charan Sanit Wong Road in late 2019 near Charansanitwong Railway Halt and Bang Khun Non MRT Station under construction. Charan Sanit Wong Road ( th, ถนนจรัญสนิทวงศ์, ) is a main road in Bangkok's Thonburi side ( ...

. Ratchawithi Road was formerly known as Sang Hi Road ( th, ถนนซางฮี้ or ถนนซังฮี้). It was originally constructed 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� ...

, as one of three new roads constructed at the time

Dusit Palace Dusit Palace ( th, พระราชวังดุสิต, RTGS: ''Phra Ratcha Wang Dusit'') is a compound of royal residences in Bangkok, Thailand. Constructed over a large area north of Rattanakosin Island between 1897 and 1901 by King Chu ...

was built, along with Lok Road ( th, ถนนลก, now Rama V Road) and Duang Tawan Road ( th, ถนนดวงตะวัน, now

Si Ayutthaya Road Si Ayutthaya Road ( th, ถนนศรีอยุธยา, , ) is a road in inner Bangkok. It starting from Ratchaprarop Road, Ratchaprarop road at Makkasan intersection in the area of Ratchathewi district to eastward where cuts Phaya Thai Road, ...

). The name "Sang Hi" comes from Chinese (囍), and means " exceedingly happy". The original road stretched only from behind Dusit Palace to the edge of the Chao Phraya. It was later expanded to connect to Ratchaprarop Road, and then extended across the river to Charan Sanitwong Road when the Krung Thon Bridge began construction in 1954. Because it connected the two sections of the former Sang Hi Road on either side of the river, the Krung Thong Bridge has been called by locals Sang Hi Bridge ( th, สะพานซังฮี้, ''Saphan Sang Hi'') since before it was officially christened. The intersection of Ratchawithi and

Samsen 350px, Samsen Road in the phase of Thewet Naruemit Bridge (view backward to Phra Nakhon side) Samsen or spelled Sam Sen ( th, สามเสน, ) is a road and neighbourhood in Bangkok considered to be one of Bangkok's oldest. Samsen road start ...

roads, the final intersection before crossing the bridge on the east side of the river, is named Sang Hi Intersection. The name was changed to Ratchawithi Road on February 16, 1918 by 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 ...

. The term is derived from the

Pali Pali () is a Middle Indo-Aryan liturgical language native to the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pāli Canon'' or ''Tipiṭaka'' as well as the sacred language of ''Theravāda'' Buddhism ...

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

, ' + ', and means "royal way" or "king's road". The stretch of the road from Victory Monument to Kamphaeng Phet 5 Road is lined with a large number of hospitals and health-related institutions. These include

Rajavithi Hospital Rajavithi Hospital () is large public hospital located in Ratchathewi District, Bangkok, Thailand. It was founded in 1951 as the Women's Hospital, and is operated by the Ministry of Public Health's Department of Medical Services. With an inpatie ...

and Boromarajonani College of Nursing, the Institute of Dermatology,

Queen Sirikit National Institute of Child Health Queen Sirikit National Institute of Child Health () is large public hospital located in Ratchathewi District, Bangkok, Thailand. It serves as a teaching hospital for the College of Medicine, Rangsit University. History With plans to expand the ...

(Children's Hospital), Hospital for Tropical Diseases,

Phramongkutklao Hospital Phramongkutklao Hospital () is a hospital located in Ratchathewi District, Bangkok, Thailand. It is a military hospital for the Royal Thai Army and a teaching hospital for Phramongkutklao College of Medicine which trains doctors for the Royal Thai A ...

and College of Medicine, the Royal Thai Army Nursing College, Prasat Neurological Institute and the under-construction extension of

Ramathibodi Hospital Ramathibodi Hospital ( th, โรงพยาบาลรามาธิบดี ) is a university hospital of the Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University. and is a hospital capable of super tertiary care. It is a teaching ho ...

. At Ratchawithi Intersection, where it meets Rama V Road near

Chitralada Royal Villa Chitralada Royal Villa ( th, พระตำหนักจิตรลดารโหฐาน; ) is a royal villa located within Dusit Palace. This villa was permanent-residence of King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX), the longest-serving monarch o ...

and

Dusit Zoo Dusit Zoo ( th, สวนสัตว์ดุสิต) or popularly known as Khao Din Wana (เขาดินวนา) and Khao Din (เขาดิน) was a zoo in Bangkok, Thailand. Located at Khao Din Park in Bangkok's Dusit District next ...

at about 6:30 am on Sunday October 14, 1973, there was a clash between a group of protesters demanding a constitution and police. It escalated into a bloody uprising recorded in history known as " Oct 14 event".

References

{{coord, 13, 46, 25, N, 100, 31, 08, E, region:TH_type:landmark_source:kolossus-jawiki, display=title Streets in Bangkok Transport in Bangkok Ratchathewi district