Thai Parliament Museum


The Thai Parliament Museum is a museum within the Sappaya-Sapasathan, Bangkok, dedicated to the political history of Thailand after the transition to a constitutional monarchy in 1932.

History

The museum was established and first opened to the public in 1974 as part of the Document and Research Service Centre of the Secretariat of the House of Representatives. At that time, the museum was housed by Building A within the Parliament House, sharing the location with the Thai Parliament Library.
In 1976, the museum was expected to be moved to the Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall, a former parliament house, but this was prevented by the ongoing refurbishment of the hall.
In 1978, the museum was relocated to Building B in the Parliament House instead.
In 1980, a statue of King Rama VII was erected in front of Parliamentary Building 1 of the Parliament House, and a chamber was created behind the statue as a museum for displaying personal belongings of the king, called the King Prajadhipok Museum, inaugurated on 10 December 1980.
In 1984, Ukrit Mongkolanawin, then president of the parliament, reintroduced the idea of moving the Parliament Museum to the Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall. After the renovation of the throne hall, the museum was located there for a period of time from 10 December 1984 and was moved back to the Parliament House, where it was housed in the same chamber as the King Prajadhipok Museum.
In 1998, the King Prajadhipok Museum moved out to a new building on Lan Luang Road near Phan Fa Lilat Bridge. The chamber has since housed the Parliament Museum only.
In 2019, Thai Parliament Museum moved to latest parliament house building, Sappaya-Sapasathan.

Governance

The museum is administered by the Museum and Archives Division, an agency of the Bureau of Academic Services, Secretariat of the House of Representatives.

Location and travel

The museum is located in a chamber behind the statue of King Rama VII at Parliamentary Building 1, Parliament House of Thailand, U-Thong Nai Road, Dusit District, Bangkok, opposite to the Dusit Zoo.
The museum can be accessed by the BMTA buses Nos. 12, 18, 28, 70, 108, 539, 542, and 515.

Opening hours and fees

The museum is open from Monday to Friday, 09:00–16:00 hours, except on public holidays.
It is open to the public without charge.

Exhibition

The exhibition at the museum is divided into five sections:
; Some of the historical documents displayed at the museum
; Exhibition at the museum