Wat Phnom Historical and Cultural Tourism Site
The temple has a strong connection with establishment of the capital city of Cambodia. The current name of the city Phnom-Penh in native language means literally the hill of Ms. Penh. According to a legend, a woman named Penh found a lot of little statues of Buddha in the river, and established the first settlement.
She had the Wat Phnom temple built on the nearby hill to celebrate the Buddha statues found in the river. It is widely believed that the Wat Phnom temple was built in 1373. It is the largest religious building in the capital city Phnom-Penh . A lot of other smaller chapels were built in the vicinity of the Wat Phnom during the last centuries.
This museum takes as its focus the social history of the city of Phnom Penh; this does include the relationship of the city with the rest of Cambodia. The museum is filled with diorama, which describe the history and major events of the city. There are also numerous artifacts: uniforms of kings and soldiers, farm implements, paintings, photographs, political tracts, and so forth. Today, Wat Phnom is
the foundation point for the city of Phnom Penh
(at least according to legend). This Wat is a major tourist destination in the city, and underneath this Wat is a surprisingly large and well-presented museum.
- Opening Hours: Mon-Sun 09.00-18.00
