Tapa, Estonia

Tapa is a town in Tapa Parish, Lääne-Viru County, Estonia. It sits at the junction of the country's Tallinn to Narva railway line, which runs west to east, and the Tallinn to Tartu to Valga line, which runs north to south, and the Valgejõgi River passes the town on its northeastern side. Tapa Army Base lies on the southern outskirts and the central training area of the Estonian Defense Forces is to the north-west, so the town has been known as both a railway town and a military town throughout its history. It developed as a village in the 13th and 14th centuries, was first mentioned in 1482, and was officially recognized as a town in 1926. In October 2005 it merged with three neighbouring parishes to form Tapa Parish.