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According to most historians, the ancient town of Kanchanaburi was located near Ban Lat Ya, a small village situated approximately 16 kilometers north of the present town. The site was repeatedly recorded in Thai history as an invasion route which the Burmese used to enter Thai Kingdoms.
Kanchanaburi, which has mostly mountainous terrain, covers an area of approximately 19,473 square kilometers and is the third largest province in Thailand after Chiang Mai and Nakhon Ratchasima. Situated approximately 129 kilometres west of Bangkok, Kanchanaburi shares a border with Myanmar to the west, Tak and Uthai Thani Provinces to the north, Suphan Buri and Nakhon Pathom Provinces to the east, and Ratchaburi Province to the south.
In north and west Kanchanaburi, the terrain is comprised mainly of mountains and high plains, with the Thanon Thongchai Range acting as a natural border between Thailand and Myanmar. The range is the source of Kanchanaburi's two most important rivers Maenam Khwae Noi and Maenam Khwae Yai, which |
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form the famous Maenam Mae Klong. As a result, several of Thailand's largest Namtok (waterfalls) and most extensive wildlife sanctuaries are found in this area.
The provincial capital is a relatively new town, dating merely from 1831. Major tourism attractions are inextricably connected with the Second World War, and more specifically, the years 1942 through 1945.
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Bridge Over The River Kwai Internationally famous, thanks to several motion pictures and books, the black iron bridge was brought from Java by the Japanese army and reassembled under Japanese supervision by Allied prisoner-of-war laborers as part of the 'Death Railway' linking Thailand with Burma. Still in use today, the bridge was the target of frequent Allied bombing raids during 1945, and was rebuilt after the war ended. The curved spans of the bridge are the original sections.
The bridge, which spans the Kwai Yai river some 4 kilometres northwest of the Tourism Authority of Thailand's Kanchanaburi office on Saeng Chuto Road, is the focal point of a riverside area of restaurants, souvenir, handicraft and jewellery shops. |
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The Jeath War Museum This enclave in the riverside precincts of Wat Chaichumphon has been constructed largely in the form of an Allied prisoner-of-war camp. The name JEATH is derived from Japan, England, America,
Australia, Thailand and Holland. The thatched detention hut with cramped,
elevated bamboo bunks contains photographic, pictorial and physical memorabilia dating from the Second World War. Several prisoners of war who survived appalling conditions have donated items from that time to add to the museum's authenticity.
Opening hours: 8.30 AM to 6.00 PM daily |
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