via Bangkok Post, 28 April 2022: Bangkok Post feature on the Ban Kao National Musuem.
Following a massive five-year makeover, the modern red-ochre compound of Ban Kao National Museum rises in the middle of vast green landscapes and rice fields on the banks of the Khwae Noi River, serving as a prologue for a day trip to explore Prasat Muang Sing Historical Park, which is about 10km away.
Situated in the popular resort town of Kanchanaburi, the three-storey cube-shaped building with many holes in the walls is reminiscent of archaeological pits, which have been heaped with stratified soils from various periods. It integrates innovative modern technology, mixed media and lighting design so that people of all ages can participate in entertaining, interactive experiences while learning about the history.
Its origins lie in World War II, when Dutch archaeologist Hendrik Robert van Heekeren was apprehended by the Japanese army while conducting research in Indonesia and taken to Kanchanaburi to construct the infamous Death Railway. There, he unearthed archaic stone tools near the Ban Kao railroad station and delivered them to Prof Hallam Movius of Harvard University in the United States for investigation after the war.
Source: Prologue to the past
