The City of Kanchanaburi

Kanchanaburi stays away from the hustle and bustle and maintains a serene and remote ambience. Plenty of natural beauty is available all over the city and one can truly embrace the amazing tranquility of the waterfalls, spectacular rivers, national parks, lots of sun and of course some of the best attractions of Thailand such as the Bridge on the River Kwai or Erawan waterfalls. People of Kanchanaburi are very friendly and that really helps tourists to explore one of the most beautiful province in Thailand.

History

The province of Kanchanaburi dates back to the period when King Rama I reigned over the nation. Burmese were invading during the late eighteenth century and this area was developed to get protection from the invaders. Thailand established itself as one of the major economic forces of South East Asia during the next century and that was the time when most provinces like Kanchanaburi were formed. That was the time when the kingdoms of Bangkok, Sukothai and Ayutthaya were already established in Thailand. Therefore, the province of Kanchanaburi is not very old.

Location

Kanchanaburi is encircled by Uthai Thani, Suphanburi, and Nakhon Pathom to the east; Burma to the west; Tak province to the North and Ratchaburi to the south. There are seventy six provinces in Thailand and Kanchanaburi is the third largest, only after Nakhon Ratchasima and Chiang Mai. It is located around 150 kilometers west of Bangkok and its population is approximately 750,000.

Attractions

Kanchanaburi is a great destination for tourists to spend their perfect vacation. There are plenty of leisure activities to explore such as rock climbing, golfing, kayaking, elephant trekking, etc. The province always remains among the top tourists destination in Thailand because of its ttractions.

Some of the attractions of Kanchanaburi are:

The River Kwai
It can be said that the River Kwai is the heart of Kanchanaburi. Tourists all over the world come to view the popular Bridge on the River Kwai and the Death Railway over the river. Thousands of prisoners of war went through inhumane conditions and lost their lives to construct two bridges, and one of them remain today. The River Kwai remained the silent spectator of such notorious torture. A war cemetery is dedicated to the these victims.

“Kware” was the original name of the river and it is a branch of Mekong (Mae Klong).

JEATH War Museum
This popular museum was constructed keeping in mind the structure of the huts where the prisoners of war were kept. On the site of the first wooden bridge, JEATH War Museum was developed. A portion of the bridge is displayed in the museum.