Museums are filled with the treasures of a country’s history, culture, geology, and diplomacy. While International Museum Day falls on May 18th of every day, Thai Museum Day is celebrated on September 19th of every year and was first declared in 1995. The declaration was made in remembrance of His Majesty King Chulalongkorn the Great (King Rama V) who endorsed the establishment of the “Royal Siamese Museum,” now known as National Museum Bangkok.
The birth of the National Museum Bangkok
Originally, the museum was first set up in the reign of His Majesty King Mongkut (King Rama IV) as the royal private museum in The Grand Palace. Later in the reign of King Rama V, he ordered the opening of the museum to the public for the first time and it was marked as the birth of Thailand’s first National Museum. In 1887, the museum was moved to Wang Na, or Bovorn Sathan Mongkol (Front) Palace, and subsequently developed into the National Museum Bangkok.
The National Museum Bangkok is located on the opposite side of Sanam Luang to The Grand Palace. The museum currently houses three permanent exhibition galleries, which include The Thai History Gallery, The Archaeological and Art History collection, and The Prehistorical Period Gallery.
To learn more about the National Museum Bangkok and its exhibitions, visit its website or follow its Facebook Page.
Museums in Thailand
The National Museum Bangkok and the network of National Museums throughout the Kingdom are managed by the Fine Arts Department, under the Ministry of Culture, with the mission to manage the nation’s art and cultural heritage. The Fine Arts Department has set forth a number of developmental policies and regulations applying international standards to promote Thai culture through museums across the country.
There are more than 100 public and private museums in Thailand ranging from art and performance art museums, textile museums, military museums, medical museums, religious museums to culture museums. Some of the well-known museums include Jim Thompson House Museum, Chiang Mai National Museum, Thailand–Burma Railway Centre, Erawan Museum, and many more.
The Fine Arts Department has also produced virtual tours of their museums with English-language narration of its artifacts, available from the Virtual Museums website.
Activities on Thai Museum Day
On the occasion of Thai Museum Day, many museums around the country organize activities to promote Thai museums and their role as a learning and cultural resource for all people.
Under the theme, “Thai Museums: The Bridges Uniting the World,” this year’s activities will take place across multiple museums and institutions from September 19th-21st, 2026, organized by the Office of National Museums, Thailand:
- September 19th – Mahidol University’s Salaya Campus will organize educational activities through a network of academic museums, focusing on health and well-being, agricultural lifestyles, and the King’s Philosophy.
- September 20th – Museum Siam will take visitors on a journey through the historic communities and neighborhoods of Thonburi and Phra Nakhon.
- September 21st – The Constitutional Court Museum and the Siriraj Museum will co-organize educational activities exploring the roles of judicial and medical institutions in Thailand’s development.
For more information about activities on this day, visit the Office of National Museums, Thailand Facebook Page or the Thai Museum Day Facebook Page.
Interested in volunteering? Consider becoming a member of the National Museum Volunteers (NMV), a nonprofit organization that has supported the National Museum Bangkok since 1969. The NMV offers a wealth of cultural and educational activities for those those who love the rich history and culture of Thailand and the broader region. The volunteer organization trains and makes available English, French, German, and Japanese guides for foreign visitors to the National Museum Bangkok. Reach out to learn more about the NMV Guiding Workshop and Study program.