Royal Palace Museum

The main palace building, now housing the museum.

 
The old royal palace sits at one end of town, opposite Phu Si hill. The current palace building was built in 1904 on the foundations of a much older palace. This was after the Luang Prabang kingdom became a French protectorate, so the building features a blend of Lao and French styles. The building was taken over by the government after the 1975 revolution and opened to the public as a museum in 1995.

The long front wing houses the king's reception hall to the right of the entry, where busts and paintings of the Lao monarchs are now displayed. This room is decorated with murals depicting scenes of everyday life around the city. They were executed by a French artist in the 1930s.

To the left of the entry is the reception area for the chief secretary, which now displays gifts from various heads of state to the Lao monarchy. Beyond this is the queen's reception room.

Connecting the reception wing with the residential wing is the throne hall. In addition to the throne of the king and queen, on display is the king's elephant chair. Glass cases contain many crystal Buddha images removed from the chedi at Wat That Makmo. The walls of the throne room are decorated with cut mirrored tile mosaics, which you can also see at Wat Xieng Thong.

New pavilion to house the Prabang Buddha statue.

The royal apartments have been preserved more or less as they were when occupied by the king and queen. The include bedrooms and the dining room, as well as a music room displaying Lao classical instruments and masks.

In the compound of the royal palace is a large ornate pavilion is just being finished, having been started in 2000. The pavilion will house the Prabang standing Buddha image, which will be placed on a high throne within the hall. Currently, the Prabang image, along with many other religious artifacts, is housed in the front wing of the royal palace.

Also in the compound is a theater where performances are held three times a week (Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays) at 18:00. In front of the theater is a statue of King Sisavong Vang.

Photo Gallery

For more pictures of the Royal Palace Museum, see our online photo gallery.

Admission Fees

Admission to the museum is 10,000 Kips (about US$1.00). No photography is allowed inside the museum. You must leave your bag in lockers provided near the entrance, and must also remove your shoes before entering. You need to be dressed conservatively. The museum is open Monday to Saturday from 8:30 to 11:00 in the morning.