Thailand’s shining capital is its showcase of both sophistication and tourist sites. In 200 years it has become the pulsating heart of Southeast Asia, where a legacy of cultural sites witness an ever evolving city of around seven million that is modern, timeless, chaotic, and a political powder keg - all in equal measures.
Bangkok was founded relatively recently in Thailand’s historical timeline, and was characterised as a stately royal city for a century before expanding to its present CBD in the 20th century. Political upheavals left Bangkok financially vulnerable before and after WWII, which was then followed by a period of rapid development, then a traumatic economic meltdown, followed by recovery and finally more political heartaches that remain unresolved.
Bangkok became the capital of Thailand in the tumultuous years following the Burmese sacking of the former Thai capital of Ayutthaya in 1767.