Luang Prabang
(2001 pop. 15,000). Surrounded by mountains on and around a peninsula between the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers, Luang Prabang is one of the most beautiful, historic, and least explored ancient capitals of Asia. Today the third or fourth biggest city in Laos, Luang Prabang was originally the center of Lane Xang ("land of a million elephants"), an empire that stretched across much of present-day Laos, northeastern Thailand, and southern China approximately 700 years ago. The name itself is taken from the Phra Bang, a golden image of the Buddha, which remains a revered object of the Lao people. Although the whereabouts of the authentic Phra Bang are a mystery, and little remains of the original city, Luang Prabang continues as a center of Lao history and culture. Renowned for its magnificent temples and the former Royal Palace, the city also boasts a unique mix of Lao and French architecture, a legacy from the country's colonial past. So rich is Luang Prabang's history that the city was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1995, with 33 temples and 111 buildings protected or scheduled for restoration. Luang Prabang retains a magical, unspoiled quality. Quiet and small, with only about 15,000 residents, the city is widely regarded as the best-preserved historic town in Southeast Asia. Luang Prabang also stands as evidence of a glorious era in Laos's troubled history.
Arne Kislenko
Further Reading
Berger, Hans G. (2000) Het Bun Dai Bun: Luang Prabang— Rituale einer glucklichen Stadt. Munich: Knesebeck.
Sepul, Rene, and Cici Olsson. (1998) Luang Prabang. Trans. by Ed Lamot. Vientiane, Laos: Raintrees.
Stuart-Fox, Martin. (1997) A History of Laos. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press.
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