U Thong District

Amphoe U Thong ( Thai: อำเภอ อู่ทอง, such as: Golden Cradle ) is a district ( Amphoe - administrative district ) in the west of the province of Suphanburi. The Suphanburi province is located in the western part of central Thailand, capital of the county U Thong about 32 kilometers west of the provincial capital of Suphanburi.

Geography

The neighboring Amphoe are clockwise from the north: Don Chedi, Suphanburi Mueang, Bang Pla Ma and Song Phi Nong, and Amphoe Kanchanaburi province: Nong Prue, Lao Khwan, Huai and Phanom Thuan Krachao.

History

U Thong is a very old city. Archaeologists found in many parts of the county prehistoric tools and human skeletons. It is believed that there was a center of Dvaravati culture here.

Mueang Thong Thao U ( "the city by King U Thong " ) is also a city of the legends that have grown up around the founding of the Kingdom of Ayutthaya. Prince U Thong brought to the inhabitants of his town from a cholera epidemic in safety, and so not very far from the new city of Krung Si Ayutthaya founded on March 4, 1351 A. D..

The county U Thong was set up in 1905 with the name Chorakhe Sam Phan. In 1940, the government transferred the administration of the district of Ban Chorakhe Sam Phan in the area of the historic city. At the same time the name was changed to U Thong.

Products

About 200 years ago a group of emigrants from Vientiane, Laos is based in Ban Kham on in today's Tambon Phlapphla Chai. The old knowledge of medicinal herbs has been passed down from generation to generation, and is now under the OTOP (One Tambon One Product ) have been developed to a certain perfection.

Attractions

• In the U-Thong National Museum there are numerous findings that have been unearthed by archaeologists here. On display are such as tools and Buddha statues in part from the Dvaravati period.
• Wat Khao Phra Sri Sanphet, picturesquely situated on a mountain Buddhist temple ( Wat ) with a large reclining Buddha statue in a cave

Management

The U Thong district is divided into 13 subdistricts ( tambon), these in turn are divided into 151 municipalities ( Muban ). ( Population figures from 2003)

There are seven small towns ( thesaban tambon) in the district:

• Sa Yai Som ( Thai: เทศบาล ตำบล สระ ยาย โสม ) consists of parts of the tambon Sa Yai Som
• U Thong ( Thai: เทศบาล ตำบล อู่ทอง ) consists of parts of the tambon U Thong,
• Khun Phat Pheng ( Thai: เทศบาล ตำบล ขุน พัด เพ็ง ) also consists of parts of the tambon Sa Yai Som
• Ban Don ( Thai: เทศบาล ตำบล บ้าน ดอน ) consists of parts of tambon Ban Don
• Tao Thon U ( Thai: เทศบาล ตำบล ท้าว อู่ทอง ) also consists of parts of the tambon U Thong,
• Ban Khong ( Thai: เทศบาล ตำบล บ้าน โข้ ง ) consists of the whole Tambon Ban Khong,
• Kra Chan ( Thai: เทศบาล ตำบล กระ จัน ) consists of the whole tambon Kra Chan.

In addition, there are eight " Tambon Administrative Organizations" (TAO, องค์การ บริหาร ส่วน ตำบล - administrative organizations) in the district.