Baan Dam Museum - The Famous Black House in Chiang Rai

Baan Dam Museum (Thai: พิพิธภัณฑ์บ้านดำ, pí-pít-tá-pan bâan dam) is an art museum with a total land area of over 100 rais (160,000 square meters) located in Tambon Nang Lae, Chiang Rai. It was constructed by Thawan Duchanee, a Thai national artist skilled in the arts of painting and sculpture responsible for various works of art ranging from drawings and sculptures. Baan Dam’s distinctive features are wooden huts built in Lanna style and uniquely-shaped concrete huts.

Location: 414, Moo 13, Nang Lae, Chiang Rai, 57100
Google Map: Find Routes
Plus Code Map: 7MFXXVR6+R6
Latitude: 19.9920625
Longtitude: 99.8605625
Opening hours: from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., everyday
Entrance fee: 80 THB

Visitors exempt from entrance fees:
• Children below 12 years old or not taller than 120 centimeters
• Students in uniforms or have verified student IDs
• Government officials in uniforms or have verified IDs
• Tour guides with verified IDs
• Monks or religious figures of all beliefs
• Pregnant women
• Elders; 60-years-olds and older
• Handicapped persons or people with disabilities

Founder: Thawan Duchanee
Year built: 2009

Black House Area

Almost all the huts are painted black, Thawan’s favorite color, hence the name Baan Dam, which means Black House in Thai. Each place is decorated with lovely wooden sculptures and animal horn mounts, such as over 100 pieces of buffalo horns, deer horns, crocodile skin, large sea shells, and animal bones such as elephant bones. As most of the buildings are painted in black, which is a complete contrast to Chalermchai’s Wat Rong Khun, which has a dominantly white color, the locals tend to allude that “Chalerm created heaven while Thawan created hell.”

The areas within Baan Dam are surrounded by many big and small trees and have a calm atmosphere. There are a total of 40 huts, each with its own different characteristics. Only 2-3 huts can be entered, while you can only peek inside through the front doors for others. The collectibles and objects displayed in each hut reflect a different concept. The huts were not created as dwellings but to keep various collectibles of Thawan. However, there are only a few of Thawan’s paintings in Baan Dam.

The first point of interest is the small temple in the front, followed by the cathedral, which looks like a large and grand black traditional Thai house. Inside the cathedral is a wide-open hall with various collectibles and works of art from paintings, sculptures, animal mounts, etc. There is also a huge black crocodile skin on a really long table.

If you go traveling to Chiang Rai, don’t forget to visit Singha Park.

Behind the cathedral are several huts, each with its own unique artistic style and shape, from Ruen Lhong Khao, Sala Phra Si Ariyabot, Ruen Sung Sumarn, Baan Dam Ka Lae Keaw Fah, Sala Tawan Ok, Hong Taem, etc. You can tour each house and immerse yourself in Thawan’s works of art.

Ruen Lhong Khao can be translated to “Barn Hut”, Sala Phra Si Ariyabot can be roughly translated to “Four Postures of Buddha Pavillion”, Ruen Sung Samarn can be translated to “Crocodile Hut”,

Baan Dam Ka Lae Keaw Fah is a bit tricky. “Ka Lae” is a name for a unique Lanna roof attachment that is believed to be able to ward off crows (“Ka” in Thai) because they brought bad luck. “Keaw Fah” means “Hooked to the Sky”. I suppose it’s to mean that the “Ka Lae” piece of this building is “hooked to the sky”, hence the name. So, the full name could be roughly translated to “A black house with a Ka Lae that’s hooked to the sky”.

Sala Tawan Ok means “East Pavillion”, and Hong Taem is roughly translated to “Marked Room”

Even though Thawan has passed away, Baan Dam continues to open for visitors to experience the unique artistic beauty.