PhraRacha Wang Derm (Wang Derm Palace) or Thon Buri Palace is the royal palace of King Taksin the Great. It is now located in the Royal Thai Navy, on ArunAmarin Road, on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River, at the mouth of Bangkok Yai Canal. Initially constructed by King Taksin in 1768, the Royal Palace was occupied by many members of the royal family during the Ratanakosin Dynasty. In February 1900, King Chulalongkorn (Rama the 5th) granted the historic palace grounds to the Royal Thai Navy to be used as a Navy Training School. The Navy has been required to preserve the existing historic buildings and structures on the site. The Royal Navy, in conjunction with the Navy Wives Association, recognized the importance of preserving this significant complex of buildings. Subsequently, a successful fund raising campaign was initiated to finance the restoration of the buildings and site.
HPZS prepared historic structure reports concerning the five remaining structures comprising King Taksin’s Palace Grounds at Boran Satan Phrachewangderm followed by separate historic structure reports concerning the Vichaiprasit Fort and the adjacent “Mission” building. Using the historic structure reports as a guide, construction documents for the five buildings comprising the Palace Grounds, Phratumnak Kengkoo, Tong Phrarong, King Taksin Shrine, and Phratumnak Kengphrapin were completed. HPZS provided continuous on-site construction administration throughout the restoration process, which spanned a period of five years.
