via Thai PBS, 24 March 2023: A travel piece on Phetchaburi province, including the Phra Nakhon Khiri Historical Park, featuring a summer palace built by King Mongkut and an observatory tower for stargazing.
The focal point is, of course, the Phra Nakhon Khiri Historical Park. In 1859 King Mongkut (Rama IV ) built his summer palace on top of a hill overlooking the city of Phetchaburi to pursue his passion for astronomy. The palace on the hill was designed with Bangkok’s Grand Palace in mind, and it includes a royal residence, a pagoda, and even Wat Phra Kaew Noi (the temple of the Emerald Buddha) albeit on a smaller scale. The palace on the hill is now a museum containing royal relics.
The best part of a visit to the Phra Nakhon Khiri Historical Park is climbing a spiral staircase to the observatory – where King Mongkut used to spend time stargazing and taking astronomical measurements. You won’t see millions of stars from the deck, but the white-washed pagoda of Phra That Chom Phet and the small temple of Wat Phra Kaew stand out against the green forested hill and cobalt sky.
