Prior to the late 19th century Phnom Penh was a few pagodas and a string of wooden and bamboo structures along the riverfront. It was not until the beginning of the French colonial period that the modern form of the city began to develop. Almost every existing structure has been built since the 1860s. At the height of the colonial period Phnom Penh was reputed to be the most beautiful city in French Indochina - recalling Paris in its manicured parks and picturesque boulevards lined with ornate villas and public buildings. Though sometimes difficult to see through the grime and disrepair of years of hardship and neglect, much of that beauty still exists just barley hidden beneath. And the history of the city can be seen in the architecture: classic 19th/early 20th century French Colonial buildings, typically in yellow, never far from the riverfront where the early city was centered; early/mid-20th century Art Deco structures such as Phsar Thmey reflecting European trends; Post-Independence ‘Golden-era’ Khmer architecture from the 1950s and 60s displaying a modern, distinctively Cambodian direction; and much later, the gaudy wedding cake villas of the 90s and the mixed styles of the last decade...