Saranrom Palace

Saranrom Palace at night

Saranrom Royal Palace (Template:Lang-th), is a former palace in Bangkok, Thailand, located between Grand Palace and Wat Ratchapradit. It served as temporary residence for some princes and as lodging for royal guests. It is now the site of the Museum of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Saranrom Park.

History

Saranrom Palace in 1904

King Rama IV Statue at Saranrom Palace

Saranrom Palace is a two-storey brick building designed by Henry Alabaster, deputy consul general to the British Embassy and advisor to the King. The construction started in 1866, Originally King Rama IV planned to retire to this palace to live in retirement as advisor on state affairs and decided to give the throne to his heir Prince Chulalongkorn but King Rama IV died in 1868 before completion of the construction.

Early in the reign of King Rama V, The king granted this palace to the princes as a temporary residence when they moved out of the Grand Palace such as Prince Chaturonrasmi, Prince Bhanurangsi Savangwongse. Later the king used this palace as a accommodation of foreign guests until the reign of King Rama VI, the first guests is Prince Oscar Bernadotte of Sweden in 1884. The others such as Nicholas II (when he was Tsesarevich of Russia), Prince George of Greece and Denmark, Prince Fushimi Hiroyasu.

King Rama VII transfer the palace to Ministry of Foreign Affairs to used as headquarter. The Saranrom Palace was used by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs until 1992, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs moved to new ground at Sri Ayutthaya Building in Ratchathewi District.

When Saranrom Palace is also the office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this place was once where the founding members of ASEAN 5 countries Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Philippines signed ASEAN Declaration on 8 August 1967 founding the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).