Kanchanaburi Attractions in Thailand

Historical background: ‘Death Railway’

In 1943 thousands of Allied Prisoners of War (PoW) and Asian labourers worked on the Death Railway under the imperial Japanese army in order to construct part of the 415 km long Burma-Thailand railway. Most of these men were Australians, Dutch and British and they had been working steadily southwards from Thanbyuzayat (Burma) to link with other PoW on the Thai side of the railway.

This railway was intended to move men and supplies to the Burmese front where the Japanese were fighting the British. Japanese army engineers selected the route which traversed deep valleys and hills. All the heavy work was done manually either by hand or by elephant as earth moving equipment was not available. The railway line originally ran within 50 meters of the Three Pagodas Pass which marks nowadays the border to Burma. However after the war the entire railway was removed and sold as it was deemed unsafe and politically undesirable.

The prisoners lived in squalor with a near starvation diet. They were subjected to captor brutality and thus thousands perished. The men worked from dawn until after dark and often had to trudge many kilometres through the jungle to return to base camp where Allied doctors tended the injured and diseased by many died. After the war the dead were collectively reburied in the War Cemeteries and will remain forever witness to a brutal and tragic ordeal. 

This War Cemetery is also known as the Kanchanaburi War Cemetery. It is located opposite Kanchanaburi’s Railway Station on Saengchootoe Road. It contains the remains of 6,982 Australian, Dutch and British war prisoners who lost their lives during the construction of the Death Railway.
Admission fee: free

The second War Cemetery is about 2 km south of town on the bank of the Kwai Noi River and occupies the former Conk-Kai Prisoner of War Camp. This cemetery is more peaceful, attractively landscaped and contains 1,740 remains (by countries: 1,379 British, 313 Netherlands, 42 Malayan and 6 Indian). It was the site of a base camp, a hospital and a church built by the prisoners themselves. The great majority of 1,740 casualties buried in this war cemetery, which is the original burial ground started by the prisoners, are men who died in the hospital nearby.
Admission fee: free

JEATH War Museum
JEATH is an acronym for the primary nations which participated in local action. These nations are: Japan, England, Australia, Thailand and Holland. The museum inside Wat Chai Chumphon has been constructed largely in the form of an Allied Prisoner of War camp which is managed by a Thai monk. The thatched detention hut with cramped, elevated bamboo bunks contains photographic, pictorial and physical memorabilia dating from the Second World War.
Opening hours: daily 8:30 AM – 18:00 PM
Admission fee: 30 Baht

Thai-Burmese Railway Centre
The TBRC is an interactive museum dedicated to the history of the Thailand-Burma Railway. The Death Railway runs once 415 km from Ban Pong (Thailand) to Thanbuyuzayat (Burma). The museum is located next to the Don-Rak War Cemetery.
Opening hours: daily 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Admission fee: 100 Baht

Ban Kao National Museum
This national museum is located 35 km from Kanchanaburi town it also overlooks the Kwai Noi River. The museum was constructed beside a Neolithic burial site discovered by an Allied Prisoner Of War during the construction of the Death Railway. About 4,000 years ago Neolithic man lived, roamed and hunted there beside the Kwai River, sheltering beneath rock overhangs or in nearby caves. The Baan Kao museum houses skeleton remains, pots, axe heads, jewellery made from animal bones and other artefact dating from that time.
Opening hours: 9:00 AM- 4:00 PM (The museum is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.)
Admission fee: 20 Baht

Kanchanaburi Monkey School
The Kanchanaburi Monkey School trains 17 monkeys and 1 gibbon. All of the monkeys have been rescued – some were found in poor health conditions. Now they get trained to harvest coconut, dive, play basketball. Just to name few of their skills. Monkey School is located on the way to Khao Pun Cave on highway 3228 and turn left at the level crossing.
Opening hours: daily 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Admission fee: 150 THB
Show starts on demand.

Wat Kao Pun & Kao Pun Cave
The Kao Pun Wat and the cave are located about 5 km from town at highway 3228. Some boat tours stop there for a visit. Inside the cave are several Hindu and Buddha images in some rooms. Behind the temple on the way to the river is a big Buddha located from where you can have a fantastic view of the river valley.
Opening hours: daily 9:00 AM – 5:30 PM
Admission fee: 20 THB (for the cave)

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