Thai Pavilion Utanede in Jämtland has a population of 146 people. However, Utanede also has the largest Thai Pavilion in the world, outside Thailand of course. Hundreds of thousands of people have already visited the Pavilion. The story begins in 1897. Oscar II, King of Sweden and Norway, invited King Chulalongkorn of Siam to an art and industry exhibition in Sweden. Oscar II also advised his guest to use the opportunity to take a look at the light summer nights, the beautiful views and the modern saw mills of Norrland. It was an important day when the King of Siam and his exotic retinue stepped off the train at Bispgården to continue his journey by horse and carriage to the steamer jetty at Utanede, from where the visitors returned to the coast by steamer along the river Indalsälven. Even westerners who know that King Chulalongkorn abolished polygamy, slavery and the death penalty find it difficulty to truly appreciate his importance to the people of Thailand today. The closest comparison would probably be a mixture of Mother Teresa and Jesus Christ. Statues, amulets and portraits of the King are sold in their hundreds and thousands. The construction of the Pavilion in Utanede was also financed by the people of Thailand. King Chulalongkorn died on 23 October. The day is a national holiday celebrated by Thai people all over the world. The day is also celebrated at Utanede. In the winter, the Utanede pavilion is probably the only Thai Pavilion in the world to be covered in layers of soft, white snow. The Swedish climate, which poses unusual challenges for Thai construction technology, has caused a great deal of headache and the grand, regally decorated pavilion, which arrived by sea in Sweden in 1999, had to be adapted to cope with the local weather conditions. The King’s arrival in Utanede on 19 July is also celebrated here every year Pictures of The Thai pavilion