Germany–Thailand relations

Germany and Thailand share bilateral relations officially dating to 1858. Thailand has an Embassy in Berlin, consulates generals in Frankfurt and Munich and Germany has an Embassy in Bangkok. Early on, Germans were active in Siam and reported on the country and its conditions, for example in the 17th century Engelbert Kaempfer and Johann Jakob Merklein. And already in 1678 a certain Johann Janßen Strauß wrote about "Ayudhya" and portrayed the king as one of the richest men in the world. The young Prince Frederick William IV had read about Siam and jokingly called the Charlottenhof Palace, which he helped design, "Siam." In 1858, Siam signed a trade treaty with the Hanseatic cities of Hamburg, Lübeck and Bremen through the Hanseatic cities' representative in Singapore. At the same time, a German consul in Bangkok received his authorization from King Mongkut (Rama IV): the German merchant Theodor Thies from Bangkok. However, the first ambassador of a German state, Friedrich zu Eulenburg for the Kingdom of Prussia, arrived in Bangkok only in 1861 and concluded a treaty of friendship with Siam in 1862. No suitable candidate could be found from the Thai side for an ambassadorial post in Germany, so King Mongkut asked John Bowring to serve as Siamese ambassador. The first Siamese diplomat to be sent to Germany was Prince Prisdang Choomsai (1881). Towards the end of the 19th century, German companies exerted a great influence on Siam's economic life and conquered important areas of the country's infrastructure development: Construction of the telegraph network, development of ports and the country's railroads and railroads. The first trip of a Siamese head led King Chulalongkorn Rama V in 1897 to Europe and also to Germany. After the First World War, however, all German possessions were confiscated under King Vajiravudh (Rama VI). In 2012, Germany and Thailand celebrated the 150th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. This anniversary year was used to intensify the exchange of political visitors.