The 22 July Circle ( th, วงเวียน 22 กรกฎาคม, ) is a
traffic circle 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, Bangkok.
History
22 July Circle was built on 24 January 1918 to commemorate the occasion of
Thailand's participation in
World War I, which was the royal intention of
King Vajiravudh (Rama VI), the
king of Thailand 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 roads. 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.
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]
Characteristics
At the center of the roundabout is a fountain with a small public park 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 ...
or 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", ...
, 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.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'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
{{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