Towns and cities

Battambang (Batambang)

With a population of around 140,000, Battambang, founded in the 11^th century, is Cambodia's second biggest city but it has maintained its very local atmosphere.

Bat Dambang (or Bat Dambong) literally means "lost staff": referring to an episode in Khmer history when the King Kron Nhong threw his wooden staff from Angkor and it landed in present day Battambang, a fact commemorated by the huge statue decorated with gold paint in honour of the staff-throwing king, erected in the town.

It is a spacious town situated at the Stoeung Saen river, a tributary to the Tonle Sab. It still looks pretty much the same as it did when the French colonial era ended in the early 1950’s.

Along the riverbank you’ll see some of

Cambodia

’s best-saved examples of the French colonial architecture. Few buildings are over three stories high.

Battambang has grown through trade, a fact that has undoubtedly been abetted by the city's relative closeness to Bangkok. Chinese traders for centuries have played a notable role in the city's history.

Battambang's small municipal museum, situated on the river north of the post office, hosts some interesting carved lintels and some stone and wooden Buddha statues.

One of the most interesting activities for visitors is to watch the sunset along the banks of the river and to enjoy the cool river breeze.

The town is the capital of Battambang province, with some 850,000 inhabitants one of the most populated provinces of Cambodia. This province is situated along the upper western part of the Tonle Sab river bank and is popular for its natural resources and fertile soil, producing rich rice crops of outstanding quality, more than enough to feed the people of the whole country. Other crops include corn, beans, oranges and sesame.

Ruby and garnet mines are the natural treasures found in this province. A visit to Poipet will allow the traveller to purchase these precious stones at the most competitive prices.

The province was part of the territory that fell under Thailand's jurisdiction in the 1790s. This was the result of the political manoeuvring of various Cambodian leaders who sought either the support of Vietnam or Thailand. Battambang and Siem Reap provinces would remain under Thai control until 1907 when France, having established its protectorate at Cambodia's request, insisted and obtained their return to the country.

The Khmer Rouge rebels continued fighting and plundering in the province after the civil war in the seventies and eighties until the end of 1998.

Many temples dating back from between the 10th and the 15th centuries are worth a visit and provide an interesting cultural pleasure.

Things to see around Battambang

A number of Angkor era temples and sites in the province can turn a stopover in Battambang into a most fascinating experience. The 11^th century temple of Ek Phnom, the temple, grottoes and Buddhist shrines of Wat Sampoeu and the 11^th century mountain temple of Phnom Banan are the most famous historical tourist attractions to be mentioned.

A popular picnic place for the people from Battambang and Pailin is the Kamping Puoy reservoir, situated between the mountains Phnom Kol and Phnom Kamping Puoy. It was build as a gigantic engineering project by the Khmer Rouge for the irrigation of Battambang province and the production of dry-season rice. Thousands of people died as a result of overwork and malnutrition while working at this project.

When in Battambang, consider a visit to one of the following historical temple mountains: