Phra Ram Ratchaniwet Palace is an extremely elegant building in typical early 20th century European style.The Palace is located on the grounds of a Thai army camp in Petchaburi town, some two hours drive South West of Bangkok.In 1909 King Chulalongkorn the Great (Rama V) bought a piece of land on the Petchaburi river and ordered a Palace build there. The King wanted to use the Palace as a rainy season retreat. Just a few kilometers away the King had another previously build Palace, called Phra Nakhon Khiri, on top of a mountain overlooking the area. In the rainy season however, the buildings experienced problems during heavy rains.Construction of Phra Ram Ratchaniwet, also known as Ban Puen Palace began in 1910 and the Palace was finished in 1916. It was modelled after the Palace of the German Kaiser Wilhelm. Unfortunately, the King did not get to use the Palace, as he died in 1910.
The Palace was designed by German architect Karl Siegfried Döhring, who also designed several other Royal Palaces and villas, including Varadis Palace and the Somdej Residence of Bang Khun Phrom Palace in Bangkok.