temples & architecture
The Baan Dam Museum in Chiang Rai
Dec
The Baan Dam Museum
The late Chiang Rai artist Thawan Duchanee (1939–2014) created Baan Dam, also known as the Black House. It is also known as the Baan Dam Museum (Thai: พิพิธภัณฑ์บ้านดำ), which is about 12km north of the City of Chiang Rai. It is very different from any other place we know in Thailand. Allegedly Thawan started to construct Baan Dam in the mid-1970s, assisted by researchers and engineers.
Over the years the museum has become one of the main attractions of Chiang Rai. People often mention the museum in relation to the White Temple, Wat Rong Khun. Baan Dam and Wat Rong Khun are contrasting projects: Black and White, darkness and light.
Dark Lanna Architecture
The museum is an example of traditional Lanna architecture but darker and sombre. Most buildings are constructed from dark wood, featuring steep and gabled roofs, which is typical of the architectural style of North Thailand. Black is the dominant color. Exhibits are animal bones, skulls, buffalo horns, crocodile skins, shells and other macabre items.
A lovely park
The museum is set in a quiet, lovely, lush park with big trees. Not all exhibits are sinister: there is also intricate wood carvings and interesting paintings in the main, largest building. Thawan used black and red colors, which gave his paintings a dramatic and intense quality. In total this private museum has about 40 buildings.
Massage and Market Stalls
I noticed that Baan Dam now is a bit more commercial than before. There were vendors at several places within the grounds of the museum. Besides that you can get a massage and buy ice cream. There is now also a line of market stalls that offer different textiles, handicrafts and coffee, all quite nice.
Visiting Ban Dam
Many people consider this private museum one of the highlights of Chiang Rai, together with the Blue and White Temples. None of these attractions were on the tourist map when I became involved in tourism. They are relatively newcomers and have given Chiang Rai tourism certainly a boost. Reviews of the museum are mixed: some people love the place, others were taken aback by the animal parts. Some reviewers also mentioned animal cruelty but I didn’t notice that on my last visit.
Some facts about the Ban Dam Museum
The museum is north of the City of Chiang Rai, just off the road to Mae Sai and the Thai-Myanmar border. The museum is open every day although that might not be the case on some of the many public holidays in Thailand. The opening times are from 0900 until 1700. The entrance fee is 80THB per person.
