Pratunam

Pratunam
ประตูน้ำ
Pratunam intersection in nighttime (seen from Ratchaprarop side)
Location
Thanon Phaya Thai, Ratchathewi, Bangkok, Thailand
Coordinates
Roads at junction	Ratchaprarop (north) Phetchaburi (east–west) Ratchadamri (south)
Construction
Type	Four-way at-grade intersection with bidirectional overpass

Pratunam, written as Pratu Nam (Thai: ประตูน้ำ, pronounced [prātūːnáːm]), is an intersection and neighborhood in Bangkok. It is located in Thanon Phaya Thai sub-district, Ratchathewi district. The boundaries of the intersection are considered to be where Phetchaburi road passes, and where Ratchadamri and Ratchaprarop roads originate. The next intersection on Ratchaprarop side is Makkasan.

The term "Pratunam" means "water gate", as at one time there was a water gate within nearby Sa Pathum Palace, which commonly was known as Pratunam Wang Sa Pathum or Pratunam Sa Pathum (ประตูน้ำวังสระปทุม, ประตูน้ำสระปทุม). This water gate was built by King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) in the year 1905 to drain water from the Khlong Saen Saep (Saen Saep canal) to distribute to the people, both for agriculture, and water levelling for boating and rafting. There were two other water gates in Chachoengsao province which were built in the same period.

Currently, Pratunam is widely known as a prominent shopping district. There are many shopping centers and department stores in the area such as Platinum Fashion Mall, Pratunam Market, CentralWorld, Big C Supercenter (Big C Rajdamri), etc. In addition, it is also one of the most important transportation routes in Bangkok. It is close to two other important intersections such as Ratchaprasong and Pathum Wan, and is also a location of Pratunam pier of Khlong Saen Saep boat service.

External links

• Pratunam from Wikivoyage