Tha Phra Chan is an area of commercial buildings and the Tha Phra Chan (Phra Chan Pier). There are stalls, restaurants, traditional drugstores, fortune teller shops, photo shops, and small Buddha image shops are Tha Phra Chan
Stalls selling Buddha tablets and amulets
The small area in front of the Thammasat gate is a clothes market. In the past, it was the Phra Chan Fort of the city wall in the first reign. Then it was a floating market and an important pier and then it became a market in the fifth reign. The architecture is Chinese and structure is a wooden building.
In Trok Mahathat and Soi Klang, there are ancient buildings, some of which werte renovated to Thai-Europe style as the unique style of buildings in the Bangkok district.
Furthermore, there is the Tha Maharat which is near the Tha Phra Chan. Here, there is a riverfont community mall with many restaurant along the Chao Praya River. It’s a place suitable for lunch and dinner.
Right next to Tha Phra Chan is Thammasat University. The university that has a lot of history in term of political development.
Thammasat University
Founded in 1934, as the institute for higher politics and law study, the university has played an important part in many Thai political vicissitudes. Area along the Chao Phraya River is “pridi Banomyong Plaza,” where the memorial of Pridi Banomyong, the founder of the university, the statesman and one of the leaders of Khana Ratsadon, the group that transited the country to a constitutional monarchy in 1932, is located.
The Dome Building which is located at the rear and is the university’s emblem, was once the office of Pridi and the Free Thai Movement in WW II.
There is the “Pridi Banomyong Library,” located underground. Near Tha Phra Chan Gate, there is the ‘Bhodhi Court’, the symbol of students’ resistance in many important political events. Near the main Auditorium entrance, there is the Historic Sculpture Garden, “the Massacre of 6 October 1976 memorial.” This reflects that the place is not only an educational institution, but also the important historical ground of the country.