Battambang is Cambodia's second most populous city, and a popular tourist destination dueto the many nearby ancient temples, Buddhist shrines and the infamous bamboo railway. Itis home to some of the best-preserved, French colonial architecture in the country. The city is situated by the Sangkae River, a tranquil, small body of water that windsits way through Battambang Province providing its nice picturesque setting. As with muchof Cambodia, the French Colonial architecture is an attractive bonus of the city. Battambang is the second-largest city in Cambodia with a population of over 250,000. Foundedin the 11th century by the Khmer Empire, Battambang is well known for being the leading rice-producingprovince of the country. For over 500 years, it was the main commercial hub of Siam's EasternProvinces, though it was always populated by Khmer with a mix of ethnic Vietnamese,Lao, Thai and Chinese. Battambang was established as an important trading city with around 2,500 residents inthe 18th century. They lived mostly along a single road parallel to the Sangkae River. In 1795 Thailand annexed much of northwestern Cambodia including the provinces of Battambangand Siem Reap. Following the colonization of the French in Battambang the colonial administration developedan urban layout which enlarged the size of the French colonial town. In the first timedevelopment, they constructed a grid pattern of well-defined streets, put in the urbanstructures and built three main streets parallel to the Sangkae River, connected the both sidewith two bridges in 1917. Still today Battambang is the main hub of the Northwest connecting the entire regionwith Phnom Penh and Thailand, and as such it's a vital link to Cambodia.
