Kanchanaburi is Thailand's third largest province, covering an area of 19,486 square kilometers. The provincial area is mountainous and borders Myanmar to the west. The province of Kanchanaburi consists of 13 districts or Amphoe of which Amphoe Muang, Amphoe Sai Yok, Amphoe Thong Pha Phum, Amphoe Sangkhlaburi, Amphoe Tha Muang, Amphoe Bo Phloi, and Amphoe Si Sawat are tourist destinations. Kanchanaburi is the site of the world-famous Bridge Over The River Kwae, immortalized in books and movies, and is noted for rugged natural beauty where mountains and river valleys have inspired development of hydro-electric power and where labyrinthine reservoirs provide further scenic elements to the province's natural beauty.
There are two museums in Kanchanaburi, the JEATH Museum and the World War II Museum. The JEATH Museum was built in 1977 by the chief abbot of Wat Chaichumpol. Its bamboo structure resembles the huts the POW's were forced to live in during their internment. JEATH is an acronym for the soldiers of Japan, England, Australia, Thailand and Holland, all of whom helped build the infamous Death Railway.
The World War II Museum, located at the site of the old bridge, was opened on 5 December 1988 by Boonyiam Chansiri and her family. Her father died fighting the Japanese when she was only eleven years old. The Bridge on the River Kwai. Made famous by the 1957 film starring Alec Guinness, William Holden and Jack Hawkins, the bridge is one of the biggest tourist attractions in Thailand today. Take a ride through history on the famous "death Railway" train, passing lush forest scenery.
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