The Memorial Bridge () 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 River 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. Etymology Written evidence of the river being referred to by the ...

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 estim ...

, Thailand, connecting the districts of Phra Nakhon and

Thonburi __NOTOC__ Thonburi () is an area of modern Bangkok. During the era of the Ayutthaya Kingdom, 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 is ref ...

History

The bridge opened on 6 April 1932, by King Prajadhipok (Rama VII) in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the

Chakri dynasty The Chakri dynasty is the current reigning dynasty of the Thailand, Kingdom of Thailand. The head of the house is the Monarchy of Thailand, king, who is head of state. The family has ruled Thailand since the founding of the Rattanakosin era and ...

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 Phutthayotfa 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, 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 The city of Bangkok, Thailand was bombed by the Allies on numerous occasions during World War II. It was also the target for the first combat mission by Boeing B-29 Superfortresses in June 1944. Initial British and American air raids Allied ...

, a force of

B-29 Superfortress The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is a retired American four-engined Propeller (aeronautics), 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 ...

es, in a test of their capabilities before being deployed against the

Japanese home islands The is an archipelago of 14,125 islands that form the country of Japan. It extends over from the Sea of Okhotsk in the northeast to the East China and Philippine seas in the southwest along the Pacific coast of the Eurasian continent, and cons ...

, targeted the bridge. Their bombs fell over two kilometers away, damaging no civilian structures, but downed some

tram A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...

lines and destroyed a Japanese military hospital and the Japanese secret police 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