Royal Palace Museum

Royal Palace Museum

The Royal Palace Museum was constructed in 1904, situated in the center of Luang Prabang’s ancient city, between Mount Phu Si and the Mekong River. It originally functioned as the residence for King Sisavang Vong and later generations of the Lao monarchy. In 1975, when Laos abolished the monarchy and established the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, the palace was converted into a national museum open to the public. It remains one of the most renowned attractions in Luang Prabang’s historic old town.

The Royal Palace Museum is built on a multi-tiered platform, combining traditional Lao architecture with the French Beaux-Arts style. Its layout forms a double cruciform shape, exuding grandeur and luxury. The complex mainly consists of meeting rooms, reception halls, storage rooms, and other structures. At the entrance platform stands a lotus pond and two cannons for guard. The stone stairway leading to the main gate is made of Italian marble, and above the entrance is a three-headed elephant sculpture, symbolizing the Lao monarchy.

Upon entering through the grand doors, the first sight is a statue of King Sisavang Vong, standing tall on the plaza outside the conference hall. To the right of the main gate is the King’s Reception Room, which houses busts of former monarchs and features murals depicting traditional Lao life painted by French artists in 1930. In a corner hall on the right side of the palace lies the museum’s most prized artifact: the Phra Bang, an 83-centimeter-tall, 50-kilogram golden Buddha statue cast in gold, silver, and copper. It was a gift from the Khmer Empire to Fa Ngum, the founder of the Lan Xang Kingdom, in 1356, and it is said that the name “Luang Prabang” originated from this sacred relic.

Royal Palace Museum

Must-visit reason: One of the most famous attractions in Luang Prabang’s ancient city

Continent: Asia

Country/Region: Laos

Province/State: Luang Prabang Province

City: Luang Prabang