Tapa (German: Taps) 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.It is an important centre of transit for freight (mainly Russian oil and timber) as well as rail passengers (mostly Estonian commuters), a home to soldiers since the 1930s. Tapa also plays an important role in training young men and women in the Estonian Defense Forces, being nearby to Keskpolügoon (Central training area). The Valgejõgi River passes Tapa on its northeastern side. Tapa developed as a village in the 13th–14th centuries. It was first mentioned in 1482 and the Tapa knight manor () 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. Tapa Museum was opened on 10 June 2004. The museum, in a 1934 two-storey house, collects and exhibits objects including photos and documents related to the history and culture of Tapa. All of the objects in the museum reflect the soul of Tapa's citizens, past and present. Temporary exhibits celebrate notable days in Tapa's history and feature hobbies of the town's residents. The permanent collection presents Tapa as a railway, military, and sausage town. Railway Tapa owes its existence to the railroad. (The three long, white rectangles on Tapa's flag represent the three branches of the railway that meet there.) In the 1860s, there were only native meadows where Tapa sits today. Forests of fir trees were chopped down as railroad tracks were laid eastward from Paldiski (in northwestern Estonia) to St. Petersburg, Russia. 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. From that day on, Tapa grew quickly as a railway town. Land was purchased from the Tapa Manor () to build a railway station and a depot for repairing and maintaining locomotives. The repair shop opened in 1876. The station was given the German name Taps from the manor, and the town got its name from the station. Military bases Tapa has been known as both a railway and a military town throughout its history. On 1 August 1923, an armoured train regiment () was formed in Tapa with two armoured