Chiang Mai’s National Museum was opened on 6th February 1973 by the King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) and has undergone modernisation since. It contains a range of exhibitions about Chiang Mai city’s history as well as the history of the Lanna Kingdom. The Museum is also an important educational center attempting to preserve art and culture from the North of Thailand. The Lanna Kingdom used to rule over Northern Thailand and Chiang Mai was its last capital (the first being Chiang Rai). The Lanna kingdom merged to join Siam in 1775 but a common perception belonging to Chiang Mai and its people is that they are Lanna first and Thai second. The Chiang Mai National Museum was built with traditional architecture and displays a beautiful multi-tiered Lanna style roof. Inside there are a range of exhibitions including the history and art of the Lanna Kingdom and how the city of Chiang Mai has changed since the rule of Siam (now called Thailand).
The exhibits are on two floors, each containing 8 display rooms. The ground floor is entirely devoted to the Lanna Kingdom: Rooms 1-8. One of the rooms here is devoted to the recovery of artifacts from Hod district prior to the construction of the Bhumibol Dam. On the second floor rooms numbered 9-16 deal with other periods and aspects related to the region. Curiously these appear in reverse chronological order; the prehistoric period contained in Room 16. Inevitably there is a lot of information here. The progression from prehistory through the stages that led up to the foundation of city states, the powerful Hariphunchai and later Lanna Kingdoms, the Burmese rule and alliance with Siam and the modern era are all dealt with effectively with the interaction between neighbouring cultures fully explained.

Source: Site visit