Bang Rak is a khwaeng (subdistrict) and historic neighbourhood in Bangkok's Bang Rak District. It lies between the Chao Phraya River and Charoen Krung Road, and was home to communities of European expatriates who settled in the area mostly during the second half of the 19th century as Siam opened up to the West. Among them were the Portuguese, French and British, whose embassies occupied extensive grounds in the area, Danes who founded shipping companies as well as the historic Oriental Hotel, and Catholic missionaries who established some of the first schools in the country on the grounds surrounding Assumption Cathedral.
Night view showing the Bang Rak area on the near side of the river
The Customs House formed an imposing edifice on the riverbank around the turn of the 19th–20th centuries
Nai Lert's seven-storey commercial complex, built in 1927, was the city's tallest building at the time.
The Bang Rak waterfront
Bang Rak is one of the fifty districts (khet) of Bangkok, Thailand. It lies on the eastern bank of the Chao Phraya River, beyond Khlong Phadung Krung Kasem, which marked the old city boundary. Originating from riverside settlements dating from before the city's foundation, Bang Rak grew inland as new roads and canals were constructed through the area during the second half of the nineteenth century and the early twentieth, attracting communities of expatriates and developing into a major commercial district. Bangkok's rapid economic growth in the late twentieth century saw the areas along Si Lom and Sathon roads transformed into one of the city's main business districts, teeming with skyscrapers. The district, officially recognised at least since 1908, covers an area of 5.54 square kilometres (2.14 sq mi), and has a registered population of 48,227. Today, Bang Rak is known for the financial activity of its commercial offices, as well as its vibrant nightlife scenes. Diverse historic and religious sites, most significantly concentrated in Bang Rak Subdistrict on the waterfront, reflect the district's multicultural history.
Skyline of Bang Rak, from across the Chao Phraya River
European governments set up diplomatic missions in Bang Rak. Among them was the British Legation, pictured c. 1908.
The Trocadero Hotel (centre-left) and Harry A. Badman & Co. (right) were among many businesses occupying premises on Surawong Road in 1929.
Patpong is well known as a red-light district catering to foreigners.