Bang Rak subdistrict

{{about|the khwaeng in Bangkok|the tambon in Trang|Bang Rak, Trang}} {{Infobox settlement   |official_name = Bang Rak |native_name = บางรัก |settlement_type = [[Khwaeng]] |coordinates = |motto = |image_skyline = Statetower.jpg |image_caption = Night view showing the Bang Rak area on the near side of the river | image_map = | map_caption = Location in [[Bang Rak District]]  |subdivision_type = Country |subdivision_name ={{flag|Thailand}} |subdivision_type2 = [[Provinces of Thailand|Province]] |subdivision_name2 = [[Bangkok]] |subdivision_type3 = [[Amphoe|Khet]] |subdivision_name3 = [[Bang Rak District|Bang Rak]]  |established_title = |established_date =  |area_total_km2 = 0.689 |area_footnotes = <ref>{{cite web|url=https://webportal.bangkok.go.th/upload/user/00000130/BMA_STATISTICS%202563/ebook%2063.pdf|script-title=th:สถิติกรุงเทพมหานครประจำปี 2563|trans-title=Bangkok Statistics 2020|author=Administrative Strategy Division, Strategy and Evaluation Department, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration|date=2021|access-date=27 November 2021|lang=th|archive-date=30 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220930084153/https://webportal.bangkok.go.th/upload/user/00000130/BMA_STATISTICS%202563/ebook%2063.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> |area_water_km2 =  |population_as_of = 2020 |population_footnotes = |population_note = |population_total = 2672 |population_density_km2 =  |timezone = [[Indochina Time|ICT]] |utc_offset = +7 |elevation_footnotes = |elevation_m =  |postal_code_type = Postal code |postal_code = {{#property:P281}} |area_code = |blank_name = [[TIS 1099]] |blank_info = {{#property:P1067}} |website = |footnotes = }} '''Bang Rak''' ({{langx|th|บางรัก}}, {{IPA|th|bāːŋ rák|pron}}) is a ''[[khwaeng]]'' (subdistrict) and historic neighbourhood in [[Bangkok]]'s [[Bang Rak District]]. It lies between the [[Chao Phraya River]] and [[Charoen Krung Road]], and was home to communities of European expatriates who settled in the area mostly during the second half of the 19th century as Siam (as [[Thailand]] was then known) opened up to the West. Among them were the Portuguese, French and British, whose embassies occupied extensive grounds in the area, Danes who founded shipping companies as well as the historic [[Oriental Hotel (Bangkok)|Oriental Hotel]], and Catholic missionaries who established some of the first schools in the country on the grounds surrounding [[Assumption Cathedral, Bangkok|Assumption Cathedral]].

Bang Rak was among the city's busiest commercial neighbourhoods at the turn of the 19th–20th centuries, but declined in prominence as newer development soon moved elsewhere. Beginning in the 2010s, urban revitalization efforts have led the area to become known as the '''Charoenkrung Creative District''', a project led by the [[Thailand Creative & Design Center]], which re-established its headquarters at the [[Grand Postal Building]] in 2017.

==History== [[File:The Customs House (Twentieth Century Impressions of Siam).jpg|thumb|The Customs House formed an imposing edifice on the riverbank around the turn of the 19th–20th centuries]] When Bangkok became capital of the [[Rattanakosin Kingdom]] in 1782, fringe communities developed outside [[Bangkok city walls|its city walls]], mainly along the banks of the [[Chao Phraya River]]. Downstream of [[Rattanakosin Island|the walled city]] beyond the Chinese community of [[Sampheng]], the river's eastern bank became home to several ethnic communities, including Portuguese and Chinese Catholics centred around the [[Holy Rosary Church, Bangkok|Holy Rosary Church]], Malays, and Vietnamese refugees led by the future Emperor [[Gia Long]].<ref name="Talad Noi">{{cite journal|last1=Putimahtama|first1=Poom|title=จีนย่านตลาดน้อย: ศรัทธาและเศรษฐกิจการค้าแห่งจีนสยาม|journal=Veridian e-Journal Humanities, Social Sciences and Arts|date=May–August 2015|volume=8|issue=2|pages=2590–606|url=https://he02.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/Veridian-E-Journal/article/view/45486|trans-title=Chinese Community of Talad Noi: Faiths and Trade of Chinese in Siam|publisher=Silpakorn University|language=Thai|issn=1906-3431}}</ref> The area gradually attracted European visitors, beginning with French Catholic missionaries, who eventually took over the management of the church. They also founded a new church (later to become the [[Assumption Cathedral, Bangkok|Assumption Cathedral]]) some distance further south in 1822, and based their mission offices there. They were followed by Protestants, mainly Americans, in the 1830s. Portugal was the first foreign nation to establish a consulate in the capital,<ref name="map">{{cite web|author1=Talisman Media|title=European Heritage Map|url=http://eeas.europa.eu/archives/delegations/thailand/documents/page_content/ehm_text_page_en.pdf|accessdate=13 February 2018|publisher=Mason Florence}}</ref> having been granted a piece of land in the area in 1820.<ref name="JSS">{{cite journal|last1=de Mendonha e Cunha|first1=Helder|date=July 1971|title=The 1820 Land Concession to the Portuguese|url=http://www.siamese-heritage.org/jsspdf/1971/JSS_059_2g_Cunha_1820LandConcessionToPortuguese.pdf|journal=Journal of the Siam Society|volume=59|issue=2|accessdate=13 February 2018}}</ref>

When King [[Mongkut]] (Rama IV) ascended the throne in 1851, the city had grown beyond its original walls, and [[Khlong Phadung Krung Kasem]] was dug in 1852 to extend the city's periphery. The canal separated the riverside communities, with the Chinese neighbourhood of [[Talat Noi]] on the city side, and the Portuguese Consulate and Assumption Church on the other, which later became known as Bang Rak. The origins of the name are unclear, though two prevailing theories posit that it derived either from that of the ''rak'' (''[[Gluta usitata]]'') tree, a large trunk of which had been found in the area, or from the word ''rak'' ({{lang|th|รักษ์}} 'heal'), after hospitals operated by the area's missionaries.<ref name="Rak" /> Western communities were encouraged to settle here, and consulates were established in the area as Siam signed trade treaties with European powers, beginning with the British, whose consulate was built next to Portugal's in 1857. The French followed soon after. [[Charoen Krung Road]], the country's first modern road, was built to serve the area in 1862, following a petition by the consuls.<ref name="Tanabe">{{cite journal|last1=Tanabe|first1=Shigeharu|title=Historical Geography of the Canal System in the Chao Phraya River Delta|journal=Journal of the Siam Society|date=July 1977|volume=65|issue=2|pages=23–72|url=http://www.siamese-heritage.org/jsspdf/1971/JSS_065_2d_Tanabe_HistoricalGeographyOfCanalSysemInChaoPhrayaRiverDelta.pdf}}</ref>

[[File:Nai Lert building, old postcard.jpg|thumb|left|[[Nai Lert]]'s seven-storey commercial complex, built in 1927, was the city's tallest building at the time.]] The advent of land-based transport transformed the city, and Charoen Krung Road became its first main thoroughfare. As the country continued to modernize under Mongkut's successor King [[Chulalongkorn]] (Rama V, r. 1868–1910), Western values became expressed through the architecture of public and private buildings. In Bang Rak, several were built in various Western styles from the late-18th to early-19th centuries, including the [[Customs House (Bangkok)|Customs House]] and the original building of [[Assumption College (Thailand)|Assumption College]] (one of the first schools in the country, founded by the Catholic Mission), both completed in grand [[Palladian architecture|Palladian]] style in 1890.<ref>{{cite web |author1=The Cloud |author2=จาตุรงค์ โพคะรัตน์ศิริ |title=โรงภาษีร้อยชักสาม : ตึก 130 ปีที่เคยเป็นออฟฟิศศุลกากร ที่ทำการตำรวจน้ำ และสถานีดับเพลิง |url=https://readthecloud.co/custom-house/ |website=The Cloud |access-date=13 January 2021 |language=th |date=3 March 2020}}</ref> Many private enterprises were established in the area, including the famous luxury hotel [[Oriental Hotel (Bangkok)|the Oriental]]. By the turn of the century, Bang Rak had become a busy commercial hub in addition to Bangkok's main expatriate neighbourhood, a busy conglomeration of residences, shops, diplomatic and business offices, as well as rice mills, sawmills, warehouses and a harbour.<ref name="Tanabe" />

Bang Rak's economic prominence gradually declined as newer development shifted elsewhere during the 20th century. In the 21st century, increasing interest in cultural tourism led to a renewed interest in the architectural and historic sites of Bang Rak and neighbouring Talat Noi. The 2010s saw the neighbourhood become the focus of urban revitalization efforts aiming to revive the area as a [[creative district]]. Galleries, public artworks, and "hip" cafes are now scattered throughout the neighbourhood. The project is supported by the [[Thailand Creative & Design Center]], which re-established its headquarters at the Grand Postal Building (built in 1940 on the former site of the British consulate) in 2017, though concerns remain over the trend towards gentrification and the encroachment of development.<ref name="Globe">{{cite web |last1=Pajai |first1=Wanpen |title=New ideas meet rich heritage on Bangkok's Charoenkrung Road |url=https://southeastasiaglobe.com/charoenkrung-road-bangkok/ |website=Southeast Asia Globe |access-date=13 January 2021 |date=12 October 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Oei |first1=Carolyn |title=Walking Through A City's Layers In Bangkok's Creative District |url=http://www.mackerel.life/walking-through-a-citys-layers-bangkoks-creative-district |website=Mackerel |publisher=The Creative Voice |access-date=13 January 2021}}</ref>

==Geography== Bang Rak Subdistrict occupies an elongated strip of land between Chao Phraya River to the west and Charoen Krung Road on the east. It is bounded by [[Khlong Phadung Krung Kasem]] to the north, across which lies the [[Talat Noi]] neighbourhood of [[Samphanthawong District]], and [[Khlong Sathon]] to the south, across which is the district of [[Sathon District|Sathon]]. The other subdistricts of Bang Rak District—[[Maha Phruettharam Subdistrict|Maha Phruettharam]], [[Si Phraya Subdistrict|Si Phraya]], [[Suriyawong Subdistrict|Suriyawong]] and [[Si Lom Subdistrict|Si Lom]]—all border it on the east, while across the River lies [[Khlong San District]]. The subdistrict's area totals {{convert|0.689|km2}}.<ref>{{cite web |title=ข้อมูลทั่วไป – สำนักงานเขตบางรัก |url=http://www.bangkok.go.th/bangrak/page/sub/8026/ |website=Bang Rak District Office |access-date=13 January 2021 |archive-date=11 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200211213548/http://www.bangkok.go.th/bangrak/page/sub/8026 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

{{Wide image|Chao Praya River view (cropped).jpg|640|The Bang Rak waterfront|alt=A lot of buildings on a riverbank}}

===Neighbourhoods=== [[file:Rue de Brest (Bangkok) ถนนแบรสต์ (เจริญกรุง 36 - Chaoren Krung 36 Alley) 03.jpg|thumb|Rue de Brest, Bangkok]]

Bang Rak's multicultural history is reflected in its various historic and religious sites, which include Buddhist temples, mosques, a Chinese shrine, and the Catholic cathedral.<ref name="Bring">{{cite news |last1=Karnjanatawe |first1=Karnjana |title=Bring yourself to Bang Rak |url=https://www.bangkokpost.com/travel/1678672/bring-yourself-to-bang-rak |access-date=3 February 2021 |work=Bangkok Post |date=16 May 2019}}</ref> The area's neighbourhoods are served by several side streets (''[[soi]]'') branching off Charoen Krung Road. They include the following, from north to south.<ref name="West">{{cite web |author1=อลิษา ลิ้มไพบูลย์ |title=Go West!: 10 เรื่องเล่าจากร่องรอยโลกตะวันตกในย่านเจริญกรุง |url=https://readthecloud.co/walk-west-side-story/ |website=The Cloud |access-date=13 January 2021 |language=th |date=6 February 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author1=นิธิตา เอกปฐมศักดิ์ |title=บางกอกราตรี : สวมรอยเป็นชาวบางรักไปหมุนทวนเข็มนาฬิกาเที่ยวกลางคืนอย่างคนบางกอกเมื่อร้อยปีก่อน |url=https://readthecloud.co/walk-nightlife/ |website=The Cloud |access-date=13 January 2021 |language=th |date=29 June 2019}}</ref><ref name="Travelfish">{{cite web|last1=Luekens|first1=David|title=A walk down Charoen Krung Road|url=https://www.travelfish.org/sight_profile/thailand/bangkok_and_surrounds/bangkok/bangkok/3205|website=[[Travelfish]]|accessdate=23 January 2017|date=10 May 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Bangkok Walking Tour: Old Bangkok Riverside – National Geographic's Ultimate City Guides|url=http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/city-guides/bangkok-walking-tour-3/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100204024603/http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/city-guides/bangkok-walking-tour-3/|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 4, 2010|website=National Geographic|accessdate=23 January 2017|language=en}}</ref>

;Soi Nai Loet :As Charoen Krung Road crosses [[Phitthayasathian Bridge]] into Bang Rak, it branches off to Soi Charoen Krung 26 (Soi 26 for short) and Soi 28, also known as Nai Loet 1 and 2 after the turn-of-the-century businessman [[Nai Lert]], whose emporium used to front the road here.<ref>{{cite web |title=รถม้าแท๊กซี่ |url=https://www.facebook.com/nailertparkheritagehome/posts/2462873910645338 |website=Nai Lert Park Heritage Home Facebook page |publisher=Nai Lert Group |access-date=13 January 2021 |language=th |date=15 January 2020}}</ref> At seven storeys, it was the tallest building in the city at its opening in 1927.<ref name="Globe" /><ref>{{cite web |title=A legacy of Nai Lert |url=https://nailertgroup.com/th/about/nai-lert-legacy |website=Nai Lert Group |access-date=13 January 2021 |language=th}}</ref> ;Si Phraya and Captain Bush Lane :Near the northern end of the subdistrict is [[Si Phraya Road]], which serves the same neighbourhood as Soi Charoen Krung 30 or [[Captain Bush Lane]], where the [[Embassy of Portugal, Bangkok|Portuguese Embassy]] is located, along with the Royal Orchid Sheraton hotel and other historic buildings. ;General Post Office and Wat Muang Khae :Continuing south, between Soi 32 and Soi 34 is the [[General Post Office (Bangkok)|General Post Office]] or Grand Postal Building, which, along with the offices of [[CAT Telecom]], sits on the former location of the [[Embassy of the United Kingdom, Bangkok|British Embassy]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Grand Postal Office |url=https://www.bangkokriver.com/place/grand-postal-office/ |website=Bangkok River |access-date=13 January 2021}}</ref> Soi 34 serves the Buddhist temple [[Wat Muang Khae]]. The two streets are also known as Soi Praisani Klang (after the post office's Thai name) and Soi Wat Muang Khae, respectively. ;Customs House :Soi 36 or Soi Rong Phasi ('Customs House Lane') is home to the historic Customs House building and [[Haroon Mosque]], which serves an old Muslim community.<ref name="Bring" /> The [[Embassy of France, Bangkok|French Embassy]] is also located here, leading the street to be named "Rue de Brest" in 2013 to commemorate [[France–Thailand relations|diplomatic relations]], reciprocating [[Rue de Siam]] in the French city of [[Brest, France|Brest]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Road to diplomacy |url=https://www.bangkokpost.com/life/social-and-lifestyle/336019/road-to-diplomacy |access-date=13 January 2021 |work=Bangkok Post |date=15 February 2013}}</ref> O.P. Garden, occupying a corner at the ''soi''{{'s}} beginning, comprises a group of buildings that used to house the first polyclinic in Thailand, operated by the conservationist doctor [[Boonsong Lekagul]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Prathumporn|title=เลาะเลียบริมถนนเจริญกรุง|trans-title=Follow the Charoen Krung roadside|date=2009|publisher=Praew|location=Bangkok|isbn=978-974-9916-74-2|page=85 |language=Thai}}</ref> Today it features several shops, cafés and galleries.<ref>{{cite web |title=O.P. Garden |url=https://www.bangkokriver.com/place/op-garden/ |website=Bangkok River |access-date=29 July 2021 |language=en}}</ref> ;Oriental :Soi 38 is also known as Chartered Bank Lane after the [[Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China]], which was established here in 1894.<ref>{{cite web |title=เวิ้งโรงภาษี Plaza แห่งแรกบนถนนเจริญกรุง |url=https://www.facebook.com/AssumptionMuse/posts/870239653509186 |website=Assumption Museum Facebook page |publisher=Assumption Museum |access-date=13 January 2021 |language=th |date=22 September 2020}}</ref> The Falck & Beidek store, now known as [[O.P. Place]], is still located here. Soi 40 or Soi Burapha, also known as Oriental Avenue, serves the Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok (as the Oriental is now known) and the [[East Asiatic Building]] (the former headquarters of the Danish [[East Asiatic Company]]), as well as the Catholic Mission, which operates the adjacent Assumption Cathedral, Assumption College boys' school, and [[Assumption Convent School (Thailand)|Assumption Convent]] and [[Assumption Suksa School|Assumption Suksa]] girls' schools.<ref name="West" /> Some of the mission offices occupy the former building of the [[Banque de l'Indochine]], built in 1908. ;Wat Suan Phlu :Soi 42 and Soi 42/1 serve [[Wat Suan Phlu]], known for its historic teak houses, as well as the [[Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok|Shangri-La Hotel]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Wat Suan Plu |url=https://www.bangkokriver.com/place/wat-suan-plu/ |website=Bangkok River |access-date=13 January 2021}}</ref> ;Bang Rak Market and Ban U :Towards the southern end of the subdistrict, Soi 44 (Talat Luang) and Soi 46 (Ban U) serve the Bang Rak Market and [[Ban Oou Mosque]]. The Bang Rak Market was established during Chulalongkorn's reign by the nobleman Luang Nawakenikon, who later sold it off to the state.<ref name="Rak">{{cite web |title=ถ้าคำว่ารัก ใน "บางรัก" ไม่เกี่ยวกับ "ความรัก" แล้วชื่อย่านบางรัก มาจากไหน? |url=https://www.silpa-mag.com/history/article_23880 |website=ศิลปวัฒนธรรม |publisher=Silpa Wattanatham |access-date=13 January 2021 |language=th |date=2 September 2020}}</ref> ;Taksin Bridge :Soi 50 (Keson) is the last street before Charoen Krung Road crosses Sathon. On its corner is a branch of [[Robinson Department Store]]. The Hainanese Chiao Eng Biao Shrine faces the terminal end of Sathon Road, above which is the [[Taksin Bridge]] and [[Saphan Taksin BTS Station]].<ref name="Bring" />

===Transport=== Bang Rak is served by the [[BTS Skytrain]]'s Saphan Taksin Station, which connects to the main [[Sathorn Pier]] of the [[Chao Phraya Express Boat]]. The express boat also serves the respective neighbourhoods of the Oriental, Wat Muang Khae and Si Phraya piers.<ref>{{cite web |title=รายละเอียดท่าเทียบเรือ เรือด่วนเลียบฝั่งเจ้าพระยา ในเขตกรุงเทพมหานครและปริมณฑล ปีพ.ศ. 2560 |url=https://www.md.go.th/stat/images/pdf_report_stat/2560/description_express_boat60.pdf |website=md.go.th |publisher=Marine Department |language=th |date=2017}}{{deadlink|date=September 2023}}</ref>

==Gallery== <gallery mode=packed> File:Embassy of Portugal, Bangkok (I) (cropped).jpg|[[Embassy of Portugal, Bangkok|Portuguese Embassy]] File:อาคารไปรษณีย์กลาง.JPG|[[General Post Office (Bangkok)|General Post Office]] File:วัดม่วงแค เขตบางรัก กรุงเทพมหานคร.jpg|Wat Muang Khae File:Haroon Mosque มัสยิดฮารูณ May8 2020.jpg|Haroon Mosque File:ศุลกสถาน เขตบางรัก กรุงเทพมหานคร (9).jpg|Customs House File:Oriental Hotel Author's Wing (33113516105).jpg|Author's Wing, the [[Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok]] File:Bang Rak, Bangkok 10500, Thailand - panoramio (1).jpg|[[East Asiatic Building]] and [[Banque de l'Indochine]] File:Assumption Cathedral Bangkok 2023-10 อาสนวิหารอัสสัมชัญ.jpg|[[Assumption Cathedral, Bangkok|Assumption Cathedral]] File:Wat Suan Phlu Gingerbread House Monk Cells 2020 January วัดสวนพลู หมู่กุฏิขนมปังขิง 01.jpg|[[Gingerbread (architecture)|Gingerbread]] residences, Wat Suan Phlu File:Ban Oou Masjid มัสยิดบ้านอู่ บางรัก 8May2020.jpg|Ban Oou Mosque </gallery>

==References== {{reflist}}

[[Category:Subdistricts of Bangkok]] [[Category:Neighbourhoods of Bangkok]] [[Category:Bang Rak district]] [[Category:Populated places on the Chao Phraya River]]