Trongsa is smack in the middle of the country, separated from both the east and the west by mountain passes. The town had a large influx of immigrants from Tibet in the late 1950s and early 1960s, but Bhutanese of Tibetan descent run most shops here. The Tibetans are so well assimilated into Bhutanese society that there is almost no indication of Tibetan flavor in the town.

Trongsa Dzong - This is the most impressive dzong in the kingdom, and can be seen from a great dis­tance in its strategic position high above the Mangde Chhu. It has been described as being perched so high on a mountain that the clouds float below it. It is one of the most aesthetic and magnificent works of trad­itional Bhutanese architecture. The dzong is a rambling collection of buildings that trails down the ridge, and it has a remarkable suc­cession of street-like corridors, wide stone stairs and beautiful stone courtyards.

The dzong was built in its present form in 1644 by Chhogyel Mingyur Tenpa, the official who was sent by the Shabdrung to unify eastern Bhutan. It was enlarged at the end of the 17th century by the desi, Tenzin Rabgye. Its official name is Chhoekhor Raptentse Dzong, and it is also known by its short name of Choetse Dzong.

The southernmost part of the dzong, Chorten Lhakhang, was built in 1543, be­fore the current surrounding structure was built. Most of the existing decoration, including a 6m-tall statue of the Buddha, was de­signed during the rule of the first king, Ugyen Wangchuck. The audience hall is still preserved as it was during his reign. There is a painting of the court as it was then. Other paintings of the guardians of the four directions and the deity Phurba are hung in the main hall. There is also a 17th-century mural depicting Swayambhunath in Nepal and another with a pictorial map of Lhasa.

The dzong's location gave it great power over this part of the country. The only mule and foot trail between eastern and western Bhutan leads straight through Trongsa and it used to run through the dzong itself. Before the construction of the road, this gave the Trongsa penlop complete control over all east-west travel in the country. There are 25 separate lhakhangs in the dzong and extensive wood carvings that make it the most elab­orately decorated dzong after Trashi Chhoe in Thimpu.