Dusit (Thai: ดุสิต) is a leafy, European-style area that is the political center of Thailand. Its development dates back to the early 1900s, when King Rama V built the Dusit Palace, a complex of palaces and royal residences he created to escape the heat and chaos of the Grand Palace. The seat of power to this day, there are numerous political institutions, international organizations and royal palaces spread throughout.
King Rama V was the first Thai monarch to visit Europe. He was very impressed with what he had seen there, and came up with some drastic ideas to make Bangkok ready for the 20th century. Rattanakosin was a cramped district with many waterways, as opposed to Europe where broad avenues dominated cities like Paris and London. King Rama V decided that most of the original canals in Rattanakosin had to disappear in favor of roads for horse carriages. But this was only the beginning; King Rama V started designing a completely new district from scratch that had to become the "new royal city", a district with grandeur, wide avenues and a leafy, European feel. The result of this process is Dusit.
The best example of this modernization process is the Dusit Palace. It is a massive complex of royal residences and palaces in many different styles, some of them with a European feel. The Italian Renaissance-style Anantasamakhom Throne Hall dominates the stage, and right in front of it in the middle of a wide avenue stands the Rama V Equastrian Statue, a large statue of the King himself that is beautifully adorned with garlands on Chulalongkorn Day (October 23). King Rama V is still popular among the Thai people and his modernization strategy is credited with having saved Siam from Western colonization.
It is the seat of power to this day with nearly all of Thailand's decision-making institutions within its boundaries. Near the Dusit Palace is the National Assembly, a modern building that is the parliament of the country. South of it lies the Venetian Gothic-style Government House, which is mostly used for state ceremonies, and can only be visited once a year on Children's Day (January 9). The Chitralada Palace, the official residence of HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej, lies just east of the Dusit Palace.
A good day to catch the stately feel of the district is at December 2, when Dusit hosts the anuual Trooping the Colour ceremony. Hundreds of officers of the Royal Guard demonstrate their allegiance to the King by parading around Suan Amporn, which is right next to Rama V's statue.
