The princes' palace
From 1903.
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A museum in the former palace of Nan's rulers, built by the last prince of Nan in 1903 in a style mixing European architecture with Thai roofs, and turned into a national museum in 1973. It tells the story of the small kingdom of Nan, which ruled this mountain valley for centuries before joining Siam, and of its varied peoples. The ground floor shows the province's peoples, the Tai Lue, Hmong, Mien and others, with their clothes, tools and crafts, while the upper floor covers Nan's history and art and Buddha images in the local style. Its most famous piece is a sacred black elephant tusk about a metre long, carefully kept and counted among the province's treasures. The fee for foreigners is about a hundred baht in known listings, and it usually opens from nine in the morning until four in the afternoon; it may close on Mondays and Tuesdays like some national museums, so check before going. The halls are quiet and the palace garden is shaded by big trees. It stands directly opposite Wat Phumin, so make them one visit on a Nan morning, then stroll the old-town street.
From 1903.
The province's treasure.
Tai Lue, Hmong and Mien.
Phakong Road, central Nan, opposite Wat Phumin
A sacred black elephant tusk about a metre long, one of Nan's treasures, shown upstairs.
