Photo Gallery

Palace Museum (built 1904-1909 onward)

The Palace Museum (Royal Palace Museum or National Museum), known locally as Haw Kham (Ho Kham) or the Golden Hall, was built between 1904 and 1909 as the new official royal residence for the monarchs of Luang Prabang. It replaced the rambling thatch, bamboo, teak and rosewood Lao-style palace on stilts built after the Haw Black Flag marauders destroyed much of the city in 1887. The building was sited adjacent to the left bank of the Mekong, so visitors formally could be met there and taken directly to the palace. Unlike the former structure that faced the Mekong (and was perhaps somewhat upriver from the present site), the 20th century structure faces the sacred Mount Phousi.

Built of brick and stucco instead of traditional materials, the main building is a blend of Laotian and French Beaux Arts architectural ideas and motifs that sought to symbolize ties between Luang Prabang and the ruling French colonial government. It was primarily designed by the French and built with a large number of Vietnamese workers, the building has two separate cruciform-style sections linked by the large throne room; perimeter exhibition galleries surround each of the sections. There have been a number of changes since its original construction; its steeply pitched roof, central Lao-type spire and the breadth of its façade were later additions and modifications. French architects originally had planned a European spire over the throne room, but King Sisavangvong (who even had studied in Paris), successfully insisted that it be Lao-style. There are classical style columns and a number of pediments reflecting European influence, though there is Lao style decoration and Lao style brackets between the roof sections and the exterior walls of the building. After the dissolution of the monarchy in 1975, the building was reopened as the National Museum, though the ‘royal’ and ‘palace’ designations still frequently are used. It remains a graceful and attractive, though not ostentatious, building.

The front section of the museum that formerly contained the official reception rooms now is the main exhibition area. The entry hall, once devoted to religious ceremonies and activities, still reflects the central position Buddhism in the former Lao kingdom and shows the intertwining elements of religion and the monarchy. There is the dais of the former supreme patriarch of Lao Buddhism and a diverse variety of Buddha statues. The king’s former reception room to the right contains busts of the last three monarchs, murals of traditional Lao scenes painted by the French artist Alix de Fautereau in the 1930s, and several fine lacquer screens by Thit Tanh (a gifted local artist) that depict the Lao Ramayana, among other treasures. Other front rooms contain gifts from foreign leaders and governments, including some lunar rocks presented by President Richard Nixon. In the right front corner of the palace, standing in the place of honor in what was the king’s former shrine room, is the sacred paladin of the city, the Prabang. (It is scheduled to be moved to the elaborate Haw Pha Bang chapel during the Lao New Year festivities in April 2006). The room also holds ancient Khmer sculpture, intricately carved ivory tusks and other valuable relics.

The throne room has red walls with intricate glass mosaics dating from the 1950s that celebrate the 2500th anniversary of the Buddha entering nirvana. The room also has a variety of royal paraphernalia, including elaborate swords and scabbards, the king’s personal howdah (elephant saddle) and religious artifacts including precious Buddha images (including some 15th and 16th century gold and crystal Buddhas from That Makmo, the Watermelon Stupa of Wat Wisunalat).

In the rear section of the building are the five rather simple rooms of the monarch’s private quarters, largely preserved as they were left when the last (though uncrowned) monarch, Sisavang Vatthana, occupied the residence. There are the king’s and queen’s bedroom, dining room and library. One now contains an exhibition of Lao music and dance. Photographs are not permitted in any part of the interior.

There are a number of other buildings on the palace grounds, including a theater, conference hall, garage, boathouse, as well as the ornate Haw Pha Bang.

Text by Robert D. Fiala, Concordia University, Nebraska, USA