Phitsanulok

Phitsanulok is a historic city in the north of Thailand and the capital city of the same named province. The city has over 80,000 people. Phitsanulok is located in the lower part of northern Thailand which is 377 kilometers from the capital of Bangkok. This city is a rich historical cultural and natural city with the total area of 10,815 square kilometers surrounding by the mountains, plains, forests and rivers. The Nan river is the main river running through the heart of this city.

This city is also a regional commercial and transportation hub, so it is very convenient for tourists to visit this city. This is a great starting point in the journey exploring the ancient Thai capital of Sukhothai. Unfortunately, in 1995 a fierce fire destroyed the area of the old downtown, then this area was rebuild with concrete buildings, but it is still such a big loss for Thai people as well as tourism of this city.

This is an old city of Thailand dating back to the 10th century when the Khmer Empire ruled this region. In the past, this city had the name of Song Khwae which means two rivers because of its position lying between the Nan and Khwae Noi river. During the Ayutthaya dynasty, this city played an important role as a buffer town between Ayutthaya and the northern kingdom. Then, Phitsanulok became a strategic town in Burmese invasion in 1775. During the fierce battles, Chaophraya Chakri was crowned the first monarch of the Rattanakosin period. Phitsanulok was upgraded to be a circle called Monthon Phitsanulok in the reign of King Rama 5. Now, Phitsanulok is a province of Thailand kingdom which has many potentials to develop tourism.