Phnom Penh's Central Market or Psar Thmey

CEOCambodiaNews · Post by **CEOCambodiaNews** » Wed Oct 03, 2018 8:43 pm

https://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Asia/ ... 335535.htm

History of Phsar Thmei (Central Market)
October 3, 2018
One of the biggest markets in Asia, under one of the continent’s largest domes.
Phsar Thmei, also known as Central Market, is the largest market in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, and was once said to be the most expansive in all of Asia. It also has the distinction of sitting under one of the largest domes on the continent.

Before the completion of Phsar Thmei in 1937, the area on which the market now stands was occupied by a swamp fed by runoff water during the rainy season. For the French Protectorate of Cambodia, who was in charge of Phnom Penh at the time, having a swamp in the middle of their city was far from ideal. So they drained it and set about building a huge market, designed by Jean Desbois and supervised by French architect Louis Chauchon.

At the time of its construction, Phsar Thmei was said to be the largest market in Asia. But despite its grandeur, it nonetheless had a troubled start. Flooding was a problem, perhaps unsurprisingly given its location in a favored gathering point for runoff water. Then came the Franco-Thai war (1940–1941), during which the market was bombed by Thai aircraft, causing extensive damage. It was closed temporarily and rebuilt after the end of World War II. It later fell into an undeniably shabby state, until the French Development Agency completed a $4.2 million renovation in 2011. It remains one of the largest domes in Asia, measuring 148 feet (45 meters) in diameter and 85 feet (26 meters) high.
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/phs ... ral-market

John Bingham · Post by **John Bingham** » Wed Oct 03, 2018 10:20 pm

CEOCambodiaNews wrote: ↑Wed Oct 03, 2018 8:43 pm
Before the completion of Phsar Thmei in 1937, the area on which the market now stands was occupied by a swamp fed by runoff water during the rainy season.

It was built on a filled-in Boeung Decho, which can be seen in the middle-ground of this photo (the white railway station and Boeung Kak are just above it):

Boeung Decho wasn't just a natural lake or swamp, it was an area where a lot of soil had been removed to build up the dike along the riverside.

Source: Phnom Penh Then and Now by Michel Igout:

CEOCambodiaNews · Post by **CEOCambodiaNews** » Thu Oct 04, 2018 4:03 am

willyhilly · Post by **willyhilly** » Thu Oct 04, 2018 5:21 am

I didn't know that Phnom Penh was bombed by the Thais. I was reading about Koh Chang the other day and they mentioned that the planned road around the island was postpones a few years ago when money was diverted to the naval battle memorial on the island.
That was a skirmish between the Thais and the French. The aviation museum at Don Muang has paintings of aerial battles against the French and The Japanese.
The Thais had pretty good US aircraft at the time. There is a Curtis Hawk biplane at the museum, I think the only one left in the world. And a beautiful Spitfire and Bearcat.