Phra Sumen Fort

The white, octagonal Phra Sumen Fort stands along the curve of the Chao Phraya River with its dark wooden windows punctuating the thick masonry. King Rama the First built it in seventeen eighty-three to defend the newly established capital against potential naval invasions. When the city walls were dismantled over time, this fort remained as one of only two survivors from the original fourteen. In the nineties, the city restored the structure, converting the surrounding grounds into a quiet park for local residents.