Baan Hollanda

Site of the Dutch East India Company trading post that operated from 1634

A small museum on the south bank of the Chao Phraya River marking the site of the Dutch East India Company's trading post, which operated from 1634 until 1765. Ayutthaya was a central node in the VOC's Asian trade network, and the Dutch presence here was one of the longest-running European establishments in Southeast Asia.

The museum tells the story of the commercial relationship between Siam and the Netherlands through artefacts, maps, and models recovered from archaeological excavations of the site. It is modest in scale but thoughtfully done, and gives useful context for understanding Ayutthaya's role as an international trading city. The garden has fragments of Dutch brickwork and ceramic tiles from the original settlement.

things to do landmark museum
A story
The VOC station at Ayutthaya was one of the most profitable in Asia for decades. A Dutch merchant named Joost Schouten negotiated a remarkable trade treaty in 1634, giving the Dutch exclusive rights to buy deerskins — then the primary export — and a guaranteed price. The station survived until 1765, when the Burmese advance finally shut it down two years before the city itself fell.