In the late-18th century, Kanchanaburi was established by King Rama I as a defensive outpost against possible Burmese attacks in what is now Lat Ya Sub-district. In 1833, the town was moved about 16 km to the southeast along the river to its present site during the reign of King Rama III.[3]
On March 25, 1935, a royal decree was issued for Ban Nuea Subdistrict and Ban Tai Subdistrict, which has an area of approximately 2.08 square kilometers.
Geography
Khwae Noi and Khwae Yai Rivers
Kanchanaburi, where the Khwae Noi and Khwae Yai Rivers converge into the Mae Klong River, spans the northern banks of the river and is a popular spot for travelers. Its location at the edge of a mountain range keeps it much cooler than the other provinces of central Thailand.
Economy
The city has two major commercial districts: the downtown area consists of a grid of several streets with office buildings, shop fronts, and a shopping mall; and the riverfront area businesses are mostly further west along River Kwai Road. Once a year a carnival comes to town and is set up in the area next to the bridge. At night there is a small pyrotechnics display that re-enacts the wartime bombing of the bridge.
The riverfront has skywalk, and next to it is Walking Street. The skywalk is a "12-metre high and 150 metre-long" glass walkway, owned by the local government; to access the skywalk, one must pay [on site] 60 baht to own a pair of plastic shoes.[5][6][7]
Buddhism
Kanchanaburi is the birthplace of the Buddhist monk Phrabhavanaviriyakhun. It is 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) southeast of the Buddhist temple Wat Tham Phu Wa which features a series of grotto shrines within a large limestone cave system. Each grotto features a statue of the Buddha at a different stage of his life. It is the easiest access point to the nearby Tiger Temple (closed) and is also home to a Vipassana meditation center.
Death railway
The Bridge over the River Kwai
In 1942 Kanchanaburi was under Japanese control. It was here that Asian forced labourers and Allied POWs, building the infamous Burma Railway, constructed a bridge, an event fictionalised in the films The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957),[8]Return from the River Kwai (1989) and The Railway Man (2013). Almost half of the prisoners working on the project died from disease, maltreatment or accidents. There were four POW camps in or near the city,[9] including Tamarkan which was used as a work camp to construct the bridge.[10] After the completion of the railway line, most prisoners were concentrated in the Kanchanaburi area, and often sent on to Japan or French Indo-China.[11]
Kanchanaburi has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen climate classificationAw). Winters are dry and very warm. Temperatures rise until April, which is very hot with the average daily maximum at 38.2 °C (100.8 °F). The monsoon season runs from May through October, with heavy rain and somewhat cooler temperatures during the day, although nights remain warm.
