Rapla (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

: ''Rappel'') is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

in central

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

, the capital of

Rapla County Rapla County ( et, Rapla maakond or ''Raplamaa'') is one of the fifteen counties of Estonia. It is situated in the western part of the country and borders Järva County to the east, Pärnu County to the south, Lääne County to the west, and Har ...

and the centre of

Rapla Parish Rapla Parish ( et, Rapla vald) is an Estonian municipality located in Rapla County. It has a population of 13,193 (as of 1 January 2019) and an area of 859 km2. Settlements ;Town: Rapla ;Small boroughs: Alu - Hagudi - Kaiu - Kuusiku ;V ...

. The oldest records date back to 1241 in the Danish Census Book, when it was said that it was a small village with 8 acres of cultivated fields. By the end of the 13th century, the village centre was firmly established. At around the same time, a Cistercian monastery was built. Rapla's ambitious period of fast growth began only in the late 19th century. In 1866, a pharmacy was built, in 1868 a school, and in 1888 a hospital. In 1898, a Brick factory was opened, and in 1900, a railway line was built between Rapla and

Viljandi Viljandi (, german: Fellin, sv, Fellin) is a town and municipality in southern Estonia with a population of 17,407 in 2019. It is the capital of Viljandi County and is geographically located between two major Estonian cities, Pärnu and Tartu. ...

. The old stone church was demolished in the late 19th century and a new one was built in a

Romanesque style Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe characterized by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque style, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 11th century, this later ...

, one of the purest examples of this style in all of Estonia. In 1913, Rapla consisted of around 20 stone and 60 wooden houses. During this time period, a number of social societies were established, such as the Volunteer Fire Company, the Song and Music Society, the Society of Agriculture, a Mutual Fire Insurance Company, a Consumer Association, and the Deposit Insurance Fund. It has a railway station on the

Tallinn Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju '' ...

–

railway line operated by Elron. In 1931, a

narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...

railway from Rapla to Virtsu opened and remained in use until 1968.

Gallery

File:Rapla kirik1.jpg, Rapla Maria Magdalena Lutheran Church File:Rapla raudteejaam 2010-05-12.jpg, Rapla railway station File:Rapla kultuurikeskus.JPG, Rapla cultural centre File:Rapla ringtee.JPG, Central square of Rapla File:Rapla, pangahoone Tallinna mnt 12 (1).jpg, Bank in Rapla

References

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{{Authority control Cities and towns in Estonia Rapla Kreis Harrien

Gallery

See also

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