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Tapa, Estonia
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Tapa, Estonia
Tapa is a town in Tapa Parish, Lääne-Viru County, Estonia, located at the junction of the country's Tallinn–Narva (west–east) and Tallinn–Tartu–Valga (north–south) railway lines. Tapa has the Estonian Defense Forces nearby Keskpolügoon. The Valgejõgi River passes Tapa on its northeastern side. Tapa has been known as both a railway and a military town throughout its history.
Tapa developed as a village in the 13th–14th centuries. It was first mentioned in 1482 and the Tapa knight manor (Taps) in 1629. Tapa was officially recognized as a town in 1926. In October 2005, the town merged with the municipalities of Lehtse Parish, Saksi Parish, and Jäneda Parish to form Tapa Parish.
The etymology of Tapa is uncertain. The name of the town may come from the older form of the personal name Tabbe. Alternately, it may be derived from the Estonian words tapu (a cruciferous plant) or tappo (arable land surrounded by a fence), or from the Karelian word tapos (place of residence).
However, in Estonian, tapa is an imperative form of the verb tapma 'kill', resulting in a purported etymology from the Estonian word 'to kill'. This is considered folk etymology, which led to an urban legend that during Soviet times the town had a newspaper called Tapa Kommunist, which could mean either 'Communist of Tapa' or 'Kill a Communist'. Later, the name was according to legend changed to Tapa Edasi, in Estonian 'Keep Killing'. Both are in fact false; in reality, the local party newspaper was called Edasi Kommunismile (Forward to Communism).
The Baltic Railway Company opened the tracks on 24 October 1870. Construction of the Tapa–Tartu branch of the railway began in 1875, and the first train to Tartu passed through Tapa on 21 August 1876. The repair shop opened in 1876.
The three long, white rectangles on Tapa's flag represent the three branches of the railway that meet there.
On 1 August 1923, an armoured train regiment (Estonian: soomusrongirügement) was formed in Tapa with two armoured wagons: the Kapten Irv, which served in the Estonian War of Independence, and the Onu Tom. On 30 November 1934, a regiment in Valga (in southern Estonia) was moved to Tapa. In January 1941, the regiment was dissolved by Soviet forces. On 14 August 1941, Nazi German troops took over Tapa. The Germans housed their military items here, where the Estonian armoured train regiment's headquarters had been. In 1972, the engineering-technical education military unit no. 67665 of the Soviet army was on the site.
There has been an airfield on the southern edge of Tapa since 1932. The Tapa Aerial Union (Estonian: Tapa Õhuasjanduse Ühing) held its first fly-in on 30 September 1934. The Russians began building a military airfield on the site in the fall of 1939. The Soviets began extensive construction of a military airfield in the spring of 1952. MiG-17s were stationed at the base by the end of the same year. Later, Tapa Airfield was made home to the Soviet 656th Interceptor Aviation Regiment. In 1993, the Estonian Defence Ministry assumed control of the airfield. On 18 June 1993, the first civilian plane touched down on the cement runway.
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Tapa, Estonia
Tapa is a town in Tapa Parish, Lääne-Viru County, Estonia, located at the junction of the country's Tallinn–Narva (west–east) and Tallinn–Tartu–Valga (north–south) railway lines. Tapa has the Estonian Defense Forces nearby Keskpolügoon. The Valgejõgi River passes Tapa on its northeastern side. Tapa has been known as both a railway and a military town throughout its history.
Tapa developed as a village in the 13th–14th centuries. It was first mentioned in 1482 and the Tapa knight manor (Taps) in 1629. Tapa was officially recognized as a town in 1926. In October 2005, the town merged with the municipalities of Lehtse Parish, Saksi Parish, and Jäneda Parish to form Tapa Parish.
The etymology of Tapa is uncertain. The name of the town may come from the older form of the personal name Tabbe. Alternately, it may be derived from the Estonian words tapu (a cruciferous plant) or tappo (arable land surrounded by a fence), or from the Karelian word tapos (place of residence).
However, in Estonian, tapa is an imperative form of the verb tapma 'kill', resulting in a purported etymology from the Estonian word 'to kill'. This is considered folk etymology, which led to an urban legend that during Soviet times the town had a newspaper called Tapa Kommunist, which could mean either 'Communist of Tapa' or 'Kill a Communist'. Later, the name was according to legend changed to Tapa Edasi, in Estonian 'Keep Killing'. Both are in fact false; in reality, the local party newspaper was called Edasi Kommunismile (Forward to Communism).
The Baltic Railway Company opened the tracks on 24 October 1870. Construction of the Tapa–Tartu branch of the railway began in 1875, and the first train to Tartu passed through Tapa on 21 August 1876. The repair shop opened in 1876.
The three long, white rectangles on Tapa's flag represent the three branches of the railway that meet there.
On 1 August 1923, an armoured train regiment (Estonian: soomusrongirügement) was formed in Tapa with two armoured wagons: the Kapten Irv, which served in the Estonian War of Independence, and the Onu Tom. On 30 November 1934, a regiment in Valga (in southern Estonia) was moved to Tapa. In January 1941, the regiment was dissolved by Soviet forces. On 14 August 1941, Nazi German troops took over Tapa. The Germans housed their military items here, where the Estonian armoured train regiment's headquarters had been. In 1972, the engineering-technical education military unit no. 67665 of the Soviet army was on the site.
There has been an airfield on the southern edge of Tapa since 1932. The Tapa Aerial Union (Estonian: Tapa Õhuasjanduse Ühing) held its first fly-in on 30 September 1934. The Russians began building a military airfield on the site in the fall of 1939. The Soviets began extensive construction of a military airfield in the spring of 1952. MiG-17s were stationed at the base by the end of the same year. Later, Tapa Airfield was made home to the Soviet 656th Interceptor Aviation Regiment. In 1993, the Estonian Defence Ministry assumed control of the airfield. On 18 June 1993, the first civilian plane touched down on the cement runway.
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