The Thai Parliament Museum ( th, พิพิธภัณฑ์รัฐสภา) is a museum within the Sappaya-Sapasathan,

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 populati ...

, dedicated to the

political history Political history is the narrative and survey of political events, ideas, movements, organs of government, voters, parties and leaders. It is closely related to other fields of history, including diplomatic history, constitutional history, socia ...

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 ...

after the transition to a constitutional monarchy in 1932.

History

The museum was established and first opened to the public in 1974 as part of the Document and Research Service Centre (ศูนย์บริการเอกสารและค้นคว้า) of the Secretariat of the House of Representatives. At that time, the museum was housed by Building A (ตึกเอ) within the Parliament House, sharing the location with the Thai Parliament Library. In 1976, the museum was expected to be moved to the

Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall The Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall ( th, พระที่นั่งอนันตสมาคม : ''Phra Thinang Anantasamakhom'': translated as 'The place of immense gathering'Noobanjong, page 167) is a royal reception hall in Dusit Palace i ...

, a former parliament house, but this was prevented by the ongoing refurbishment of the hall. In 1978, the museum was relocated to Building B (ตึกบี) in the Parliament House instead. In 1980, a statue of King

Rama VII Prajadhipok ( th, ประชาธิปก, RTGS: ''Prachathipok'', 8 November 1893 – 30 May 1941), also Rama VII, was the seventh monarch of Siam of the Chakri dynasty. His reign was a turbulent time for Siam due to political and ...

was erected in front of Parliamentary Building 1 (อาคารรัฐสภา 1) of the Parliament House, and a chamber was created behind the statue as a museum for displaying personal belongings of the king, called the King Prajadhipok Museum, inaugurated on 10 December 1980. In 1984, Ukrit Mongkolanawin, then

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

of the parliament, reintroduced the idea of moving the Parliament Museum to the Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall. After the renovation of the throne hall, the museum was located there for a period of time from 10 December 1984 and was moved back to the Parliament House, where it was housed in the same chamber as the King Prajadhipok Museum. In 1998, the King Prajadhipok Museum moved out to a new building on Lan Luang Road near

Phan Fa Lilat Bridge Phan Fa Lilat Bridge ( th, สะพานผ่านฟ้าลีลาศ, , ; lit: 'bridge on which the ruler of heaven proceeds', refers to "King's Cross Bridge"; usually shortened to "Phan Fa Bridge") is a historic bridge across Khlong Bang ...

. The chamber has since housed the Parliament Museum only. In 2019, Thai Parliament Museum moved to latest parliament house building, Sappaya-Sapasathan.

Governance

The museum is administered by the Museum and Archives Division (กลุ่มงานพิพิธภัณฑ์และจดหมายเหตุ), an agency of the Bureau of Academic Services (สำนักวิชาการ), Secretariat of the House of Representatives.

Location and travel

The museum is located in a chamber behind the statue of King

at Parliamentary Building 1 (อาคารรัฐสภา 1),

Parliament House of Thailand The Parliament House of Thailand ( th, อาคารรัฐสภาไทย) was a building which housed the National Assembly, the legislative branch of the Government of Thailand from 1974 to 2018. The legislature is a bicameral body, con ...

, U-Thong Nai Road, Dusit District,

, opposite to the

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 nex ...

. The museum can be accessed by the BMTA buses Nos. 12, 18, 28, 70, 108, 539, 542, and 515.

Opening hours and fees

The museum is open from Monday to Friday, 09:00–16:00 hours, except on

public holiday A public holiday, national holiday, or legal holiday is a holiday generally established by law and is usually a non-working day during the year. Sovereign nations and territories observe holidays based on events of significance to their history ...

s. It is open to the public without charge.

Exhibition

The exhibition at the museum is divided into five sections: * Section 1 displays the life of King

* Section 2 displays the history of the Siamese revolution of 1932 in which the government of the country was changed from

absolute monarchy Absolute monarchy (or Absolutism (European history), Absolutism as a doctrine) is a form of monarchy in which the monarch rules in their own right or power. In an absolute monarchy, the king or queen is by no means limited and has absolute pow ...

constitutional monarchy A constitutional monarchy, parliamentary monarchy, or democratic monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in decision making. Constitutional monarchies dif ...

* Section 3 displays the original copies of the constitutions of Thailand * Section 4 displays historical sessions of the parliament * Section 5 displays cooperation and relationships between the Thai and foreign parliaments ; Some of the historical documents displayed at the museum File:1932 Constitution of Siam - 2017-01-26 (007).jpg, Original copy of 1932 constitution File:Historical identity book of Thai MP - 2017-01-26 (004).jpg, Historical MP identity papers File:Historical electoral ballot of Thailand - 2017-01-26 (005).jpg, Historical ballot papers File:School notebook containing six principles of People's Party of Thailand - 2017-01-26 (001).jpg, School books with six principles of People's Party on cover File:Historical magazine of Thai parliament - 2017-01-26 (002).jpg, Historical political magazine ; Exhibition at the museum File:1932 Constitution of Siam - 2017-01-26 (001).jpg File:Thai Parliament Museum - 2017-01-26 (001).jpg File:Thai Parliament Museum - 2017-01-26 (003).jpg File:Thai Parliament Museum - 2017-01-26 (006).jpg File:Thai Parliament Museum - 2017-01-26 (009).jpg File:Thai Parliament Museum - 2017-01-26 (011).jpg File:Thai Parliament Museum - 2017-01-26 (021).jpg File:Thai Parliament Museum - 2017-01-26 (023).jpg File:Thai Parliament Museum - 2017-01-26 (016).jpg File:Thai Parliament Museum - 2017-01-26 (014).jpg

References

External links

Official website
{{in lang, th Museums in Bangkok History museums in Thailand Museums established in 1974 Political history of Thailand Dusit district Government buildings in Thailand