ARCHITECTURE BATTAMBANGWalking Map South

HistoryBattambang City, with around 140,000 inhabitants, is thelargest secondary city in Cambodia. Its name comes rom thelegend o Bat Dambong, the “Disappearing Stick”. Situated onthe Sangker River, people have lived in wooden houses alongits banks or centuries. When the province was associated withthe Siamese (1795 to 1907), Battambang City had about 2,500residents. By the end o the 19th century the number increasedto around 100,000. An open-air market (today known as PsarNath), numerous pagodas, a Chinese temple and rectangularort with the palace o the Lord Governor dating to 1830 werelandmarks o the city.

During the French protectorate the ormerly dispersedsettlement was transormed into a busy marketplace, urbanagglomeration and administrative stronghold. The Frenchintroduced two urban development plans, including a gridpattern o streets, the construction o bridges and a railwaylinking Battambang to Phnom Penh.

 Ater Cambodia’s independence Battambang City quintupledits area and became the industrial and commercial centre othe region. Several large inrastructure and public acilitieswere built under the state modernization program; includingschools, university, sports centre, museum and exhibition hall,roads, airport and the extension o the railway line to Poipet.

Further InformationThe Battambang Municipality, supported by the GermanDevelopment Service, DED, has launched the initiative“Our City – Our Heritage” with the aim o preserving valuableheritage buildings with their original appearance to sustainthe cultural identity and unique historic character o the city;the inner city area shown on this map is classifed as a“Heritage Protection Area”. Khmer Architecture Tours promotesurban heritage in Cambodia, especially in Phnom Penh, andconducts tours on architecture and public-awareness projects.

www.kambodscha.ded.de / www.gdc-cambodia.orgwww.battambang-heritage.org / www.ka-tours.org

Urban HeritageBattambang City has inherited a rich urban heritage with agreat variety o historic architecture, the styles and layoutsrepresenting dierent phases o the city’s history. The citycenter between Road #1 and Road #3 is characterized by acoherent ensemble o about 800 heritage buildings rom theFrench protectorate and the Sangkum Reastr Niyum(period ater the country’s independence).

Outside o this area, outstanding heritage buildings, li kethe New Khmer Architecture o the Battambang University,French-Classical style villas along the river and traditionalKhmer wooden houses can be ound. Throughout the citybeautiul Wats are expression o the city’s religiousheritage. All these historic buildings and ensemblescontribute to the city’s unique character and beauty.

The buildings included on the mapThe maps are about understanding and appreciating the cityas a whole and include buildings rom various periods. Wehave not tried to be historically comprehensive but aim tooer interesting walks, which capture the special qualitieso ordinary buildings and streets as well as some importantlandmarks.

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Provincial Museum Stupa Wat Kamphaeng   P   h   o   t   o   s   :   A   l   e   x   a   n   d   e   r

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1. Exhibition HallThis building has been designed or traveling exhibitions during theSangkum Reastr Niyum, its present use is or exhibitions. It wasinaugurated in 1961 and is one o the ew exhibition halls throughoutresisting time and destruction. The building’s architect is Yieng (ullname is unknown), who worked within the Department o Public Worksin Battambang and died during the Khmer Rouge. This centre and theProvincial Museum next to it are part o the urban development alongthe riverside in central Battambang.

The building’s shape is irregular and the whole structure made o wood.It contains elements o traditional Cambodian architecture, like anintroverted space with a cooling lotus pond, a well-ventilated cloisterand a gallery. Furthermore typical elements o the 60s are eatured in theoutside with rough stonewalls, reinorced concrete or the portico.

2. Provincial MuseumThis building is another design o the architect Yieng and was inauguratedin 1968. The building is built in a T-shape. Similar to the Exhibition Hall itcombines traditional elements o Cambodian architecture like the gabledroo with Khmer motis in the pediments with modern elements likeconcrete structure. Many artiacts had disappeared during the war.

3. Boxing Stadium (Sports Ground)Erected during the 1960s, the compound consists o service building,an open-air bar and a (recently dismantled) wooden gallery or audients.Olympic Rings can be ound everywhere as decorative elements. Thestadium was popular or Khmer boxing until 2007.

4. Post OfficeBuilt by the French administration between 1907 and 1926, the PostOce has been renovated rst during the Lon Nol regime and again in2007. Some main architectural elements, like roo and windows, havebeen modied. The building has been used as a post oce andtelecommunication since the beginning.

5. Electricity Company and Department of Water AuthorityThe Electricite du Cambodge and the Water Authority have beenestablished under the French administration, which started to developthe city rom 1907 onwards. The development o technical inrastructurelike water and energy supply was essential to meet the demands o thegrowing city. The location works as a buer between the administrationcomplex and the residential and commercial city centre to the north. Thecompound o the Electricity Authority houses a warehouse erected prior to1925. It acilitated a Soviet-made Diesel generator that ueled the city’s

need or energy until 2008 when Thailand started to supply power toCambodia.

 A water tower rom 1920s is still intact. In the past the supply coveredonly the city center, but in order to meet present demands, the capacityo the station has been enlarged in 2005 under the nancial support romChina. The station’s water comes rom the Sangker River.

6. House for the Vice Governor of BattambangThe villa was erected or the amily o the rst Vice Governor oBattambang. It has a distinctive architectural style, merging French-colonial style and traditional Khmer elements. Particularly the concretesculptures supporting the roo are very uncommon or residentialbuildings. Those “Kenor” is a mythical emale dancer with a body halhuman and hal bird, normally only used or Wats and public buildingsas decoration. The building is still public property and today illegallyoccupied by multiple amilies, which have lled the compound withtheir shelters.

7. Provincial CourtBuilt during the Sangkum Reastr Niyum by the same local architectMr. Yieng who built the Provincial Museum o Battambang, the buildingeatures a representative style merging modern and classical Khmerarchitecture elements. The French Court used to stand on the oppositecorner o the street, in the same block as the prison.

8. Former Prison LocationThe French built a prison in between 1907 and 1926, using parts o thenorth wall o the old Kampaeng Fort. It was continuously used as a prisonor ordinary criminals until the Khmer Rouge time. The buildings weredemolished in 2007, using the compound or the construction o a newcommercial area, which can be seen today.

9. Wat Kamphaeng and Stupa of 1840The original Wat was built beore 1837 by Mrs. Tim, rst wie o GovernorKathathan Nhonh and mother o the last “Lord Governor” Chhum. Itsoriginal location was the present-day South Primary School, but i n orderto extend the street #3 to the south, the Wat was relocated around 1926to the present position, replacing eight elephant shelters or 56 elephantso the Lord Governor.

The stupa on the school compound is the last remainder o the old Wat. Itis said that the stupa, built in 1840, contains the ashes o one o Buddha’sdisciples named Preah Arahanta Theat.

10. Kamphaeng High SchoolBoth school buildings are in their original shape, an architectureinfuenced by the French-colonial style. The school is one out o oursimilar primary schools erected by the French administration throughoutthe city.

11. Sport Centre (Au Circle Sportif de Battambang)The Sports Centre consists o the Sports’ Club and the attachedswimming pool. Originally named “Preah Sihanouk Swimming-Pool” theSports Centre was designed by local architect Lu Pen Hap and replacedthe French Ocers’ Casino. King Norodom Sihanouk himsel inauguratedthe centre on 27th May 1965. The swimming-pool was only the third oits kind that was built in Cambodia. Reduced in its length in recent yearsit used to have dimensions that meet Olympic specications. Notice theoriginal diving board being located ar rom the pool today! The openterrace above the gallery has been lled with a massage club recently.

12. Sala KhaetUnder Thai infuence rom 1795 to 1907, the amily o Chavea Baen ruledover the province or six generations. In 1905, the last “Lord Governor”o Battambang hired Italian architects rom Bangkok to construct a newresidence inside his ort (“Kamphaeng”). Leaving in 1907, when F ranceinsisted the province to be returned to Cambodia, all his houses were soldto the French authority, including the residence, which he never had livedin. Back in Thailand he lived in the town o Prachin Buri, where he builtanother (identical!) mansion and hired even the same cratsman.

Sala Khaet accommodated later on the “Resident Supérior Française”,but the ort was destroyed in 1911 with a small part o the north wallremaining. A nearby Wat and school still carry the name “Kamphaeng”.The mansion underwent several restorations and lost some o its mainoriginal architectural eatures like the roo pediment, windows and doors.In 1990s the main gate was destroyed and replaced by a new gate in thestyle o Banteay Srey, initiated by the ormer Governor o Battambangwho used to be a Governor o Siem Reap Province.

13. Royal Residence (Royal Bungalow)The Royal Bungalow on the compound o the Provincial Residencewas built in the 1960s by amous Cambodian architect Vann Molyvann.Its architectural design is a usion o traditional Khmer architecture andcontemporary eatures (“New Khmer Architecture”). It accommodatesthe Royal Family whenever they visit Battambang. His Majesty, King oCambodia Norodom Sihamoni, was last seen there in 2007.

14. Department of TourismThe Tourism Department is located in a colonial-style villa built prior1926. Concerning the building’s history it might have been the oce othe “Inspecteur de la Guarde Indochine” according to a map rom 1926. As part o the climate adaption an interior gallery surrounds the ocerooms and cools against tropical heat. The main road crossing theadministrative quarter parallel to the river was named AvenueSisowath during the French occupation.

First Concrete BridgeBuilt in 1916 by the French administration; the bridge emphasizes themain axis rom the east o Battambang to the Provincial Hall. We cansee the French road kilometer stone (with the inscription “0 kilometrea Battambang”) and the traditional pair o lions on the west bank o theriver. The bridge was damaged by crossing military trucks in 1997 andis only accessible or motorbikes and pedestrians since that time.

AcknowledgementsMany thanks to Yam Sokly (research, route planning), Alexander C. Bunzeland Walter Koditek (research, route planning), Steanie Irmer (graphic,editing), Urban Planning Unit o Battambang Municipality (research).

Feedback about any errors to contact@ka-tours.org.

Published in partnership with the Battambang Municipality, theGerman Development Service (DED) and Khmer Architecture Tours(Ka Tours).

These maps are copyrighted. They are ree to copy or personal use,but reproduction or commercial purposes is not permitted.

Edition 1, March 2010.

Most o the area o this Walking Map was the location o a ortcalled “Kampaeng”. Constructed under Thai rule in 1837 it was480 by 720 meters large. The “Lord Governor” lived inside with hiswives, emale dancers, 56 elephants and horses; no other menwere allowed inside the inner ort. It has been demolished in 1910with the realization o the rst French city development plan.Under the French protectorate until today the area is used mainlyor administration purposes: e.g. provincial hall, provincial court…