Democracy Monument Verified listing

Commissioned in 1939 to commemorate the 1932 revolution that led to the establishment of a constitutional monarchy in Thailand, the Democracy Monument prominently occupies a huge traffic circle on the grand Ratchadamnoen Klang Road. The monument features reliefs depicting square-jawed heroes, art deco flourishes and numeric symbolism. The 75 cannonballs around the base signify the year BE 2475 (AD 1932). The four wings of the monument, standing 24 metres tall, represent June 24, the day the constitution was signed; and the central plinth stands three metres high to refer to June, then the third month in the Thai calendar. The latter supports a carved representation of a manuscript box holding the Thai Constitution of 1932 atop two golden offering bowls. The monument has been used as an assembly point for political dissenters or demonstrators at various points in Thailand’s turbulent political history.

Children will enjoy exploring the various features of the monument, especially the cannonballs, reliefs and fountains with water-spouting nagas – protective snake creatures from Hindu and Buddhist mythology.