King

Chulalongkorn Memorial Building

A Thai Pavilion stands among the Swedish birch trees in Utanede. It is one of a kind, the only pavilion outside Thailand to have been built to honour King Chulalongkorn.

There is no doubt that this building is one of the most remarkable and beautiful in Sweden.

The story begins in 1897, when King Chulalongkorn was invited to Stockholm by King Oscar II. After a few days in the Swedish capital, the King Oscar suggested that his guest also visited the northern part of Sweden.

King Chulalongkorn followed his advice and travelled through Utanede in a horse and carriage. After that quick visit to Ragunda, the people of the village named the small road after the King of Siam.

 
As time went on, the story of this road had spread all the way to Thailand and, in 1992, a Thai dance group visited Utanede. This was when the idea of a memorial honouring that very important and popular king was born and, after much hard work and cooperation between the two countries, the Pavilion was finished in 1998.