The Bridge Over the River Kwae
The Bridge Over the River Kwae The major landmark
is the black iron bridge spanning the Khwe Yai river which was brought from
Java by the Japanese army and reasssembled under Japanese supervision by Allied
prisoner-of-war (POW) labour as part of the ‘Death Railway’ intended to link
Thailand with Myanmar. Still in use today, bridge was the target of frequent
Allied bombing raids during 1945, and was rebuilt after the war ended. The
curved spans of the bridge are the original sections.
World War II-vintage steam locomotives, and a
peculiar hybrid road/railcar from the 2 same era, comprise a small open-air
Railway Museum on the bridge’s eastern approach.
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