The Memorial Bridge ( th, สะพานปฐมบรมราชานุสรณ์) is a

bascule bridge A bascule bridge (also referred to as a drawbridge or a lifting bridge) is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances a span, or leaf, throughout its upward swing to provide clearance for boat traffic. It may be single- o ...

over 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. ...

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 ...

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 ...

, connecting the districts of Phra Nakhon and

Thonburi __NOTOC__ Thonburi ( th, ธนบุรี) is an area of modern Bangkok. During the era of the Kingdom of Ayutthaya, its location on the right (west) bank at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River had made it an important garrison town, which ...

History

The bridge opened on 6 April 1932, by King

Prajadhipok 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 ...

(Rama VII) in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the

Chakri dynasty 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 t ...

and the foundation of Bangkok, shortly before the Siamese coup d'état of 24 June 1932. In English the bridge is commonly known as Memorial Bridge, however in Thai, it is most commonly known as Phra Phuttayotfa Bridge (สะพานพระพุทธยอดฟ้า), after King Phutthayotfa Chulalok (Rama I), the first king of the Chakri dynasty. The name is more commonly shortened as Saphan Phut (สะพานพุทธ) or Phut Bridge or Buddha Bridge (meaning: Bridge of Buddha). Construction of the bridge was started on 3 December 1929 by

Dorman Long Dorman Long & Co was a UK steel producer, later diversifying into bridge building. It was once listed on the London Stock Exchange. History The company was founded by Arthur Dorman and Albert de Lande Long when they acquired ''West Marsh I ...

, Middlesbrough, England, under the supervision of Italian technicians from SNOS (Società Nazionale Officine Savignano). The bridge used to have a double-leaf bascule-type lifting mechanism, which is now unused. On 5 June 1944, as part of the bombing of Bangkok in World War II, a force of

B-29 Superfortress The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is an American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the B-17 ...

es, in a test of their capabilities before being deployed against the Japanese home islands, targeted the bridge. Their bombs fell over two kilometers away, damaging no civilian structures, but downed some

tram A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport ...

lines and destroyed a Japanese military hospital and the

Japanese secret police The , also known as Kempeitai, was the military police arm of the Imperial Japanese Army from 1881 to 1945 that also served as a secret police force. In addition, in Japanese-occupied territories, the Kenpeitai arrested or killed those suspecte ...

headquarters. It was not until 1947 that Thai authorities learned of the intended target. Eventually, it was taken out by the Allies and rebuilt in 1949.

Gallery

File:สะพานพุทธ เปิดสะพาน 1954.jpg File:สะพานพระพุทธยอดฟ้า เขตพระนคร กรุงเทพมหานคร (5).jpg File:สะพานพระพุทธยอดฟ้า เขตพระนคร กรุงเทพมหานคร (6).jpg File:สะพานพระพุทธยอดฟ้า เขตพระนคร กรุงเทพมหานคร (8).jpg File:สะพานปฐมบรมราชานุสรณ์ (สะพานพระพุทธยอดฟ้า) เขตพระนคร-เขตธนบุรี กรุงเทพมหานคร (2).jpg File:สะพานพุทธ.jpg

References

External links

* Road bridges in Bangkok Bridges completed in 1932 Crossings of the Chao Phraya River Phra Nakhon district Bascule bridges 1932 establishments in Siam Unregistered ancient monuments in Bangkok {{Bangkok-stub