Bang Pa-in district
Bang Pa-In, also known as the Summer Palace, is a palace complex in Thailand formerly used by the Thai kings as a summer dwelling. King Prasat Thong originally constructed the complex in 1632, and though it lay empty and overgrown throughout the late 1700s and early 1800s, King Mongkut began to restore the site in the mid-1800s. Most of the present buildings were constructed between 1872 and 1889 by King Chulalongkorn.
The facilities include vast gardens and landscaping, Wehart Chamrunthe (Heavenly Light), a royal palace and throne room; the Warophat Phiman (Excellent and Shining Heavenly Abode), a royal residence; Ho Withun Thasana (Sages' Lookout), a brightly-painted lookout tower; and the Aisawan Thiphya-Art (Divine Seat of Personal Freedom), a pavilion constructed in the middle of a pond.
The palace remains largely open to visitors since King Bhumibol Adulyadej and his family use it only rarely for banquets and special occasions.