Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 4, 2026

Rapla

Rapla (German: Rappel is a town in north-central Estonia, the capital of Rapla County and the centre of Rapla Parish.

Last revised
Jun 4, 2026
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Rapla
Town
Centre of Rapla, the church in the background.
Centre of Rapla, the church in the background.
Rapla
Location in Estonia
Coordinates: 58°59′40″N 24°48′04″E / 58.99444°N 24.80111°E / 58.99444; 24.80111
Country Estonia
County Rapla County
Municipality Rapla Parish
Elevation
67 m (220 ft)
Population
 (2026)1
 • Total
5,209
 • Rank21st
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code
79511
Drone video of Rapla and its octagonal KEK house in Estonia 2021

Rapla (German: Rappel (the name Rappel was also used in other languages in the past) is a town in north-central Estonia, the capital of Rapla County and the centre of Rapla Parish.

Rapla's population was 5,209 in 2026.1

History

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. The old stone church was demolished in the late 19th century and a new one was built in a Romanesque style, one of the purest examples of this style in all of Estonia.2

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–Viljandi railway line operated by Elron. In 1931, a narrow gauge railway from Rapla to Virtsu opened and remained in use until 1968.

Rapla received town rights in 1993.

Demographics

Ethnicity 19343note 1 19594 19705 19796 19896 20007 20118 20219
amount % amount % amount % amount % amount % amount % amount % amount %
Estonians 975 98.1 2462 80.1 3998 91.0 5070 90.6 5647 90.0 5387 93.6 4981 95.8 5022 95.6
Russians 8 0.80 - - 210 4.78 345 6.16 391 6.24 233 4.05 139 2.67 106 2.02
Ukrainians - - - - 21 0.48 32 0.57 40 0.64 33 0.57 17 0.33 19 0.36
Belarusians - - - - 26 0.59 22 0.39 21 0.33 11 0.19 4 0.08 3 0.06
Finns - - - - 75 1.71 72 1.29 89 1.42 39 0.68 25 0.48 25 0.48
Jews - - - - 0 0.00 3 0.05 2 0.03 2 0.03 1 0.02 3 0.06
Latvians 3 0.30 - - 2 0.05 4 0.07 1 0.02 2 0.03 2 0.04 8 0.15
Germans 5 0.50 - - - - 32 0.57 41 0.65 9 0.16 8 0.15 8 0.15
Tatars - - - - - - 1 0.02 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00
Poles - - - - - - 3 0.05 1 0.02 2 0.03 0 0.00 3 0.06
Lithuanians - - - - 16 0.36 6 0.11 6 0.10 6 0.10 1 0.02 0 0.00
unknown 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 10 0.17 2 0.04 19 0.36
other 3 0.30 611 19.9 43 0.98 9 0.16 32 0.51 24 0.42 22 0.42 37 0.70
Total 994 100 3073 100 4391 100 5599 100 6271 100 5758 100 5202 100 5254 99.9
  • Rapla Maria Magdalena Lutheran Church
    Rapla Maria Magdalena Lutheran Church
  • Rapla railway station
    Rapla railway station
  • Rapla cultural centre
    Rapla cultural centre
  • Central square of Rapla
    Central square of Rapla
  • Bank in Rapla
    Bank in Rapla
See also

See also

References

References

  1. "Population by sex, age and place of residence, 1 January". Statistics Estonia. Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  2. "Rapla Maarja-Magdaleena Church, Estonia".
  3. Valdade rahvastik. 1. III 1934 rahvaloenduse andmed. Vihk I. II rahvaloendus Eestis (in Estonian and French). Tallinn: Riigi Statistika Keskbüroo. 1934. p. 38. hdl:10062/4438.
  4. Katus, Kalev; Puur, Allan; Põldma, Asta (2005). Rahvastiku ühtlusarvutatud sündmus- ja loendusstatistika: Raplamaa 1965-1990. Sari C (in Estonian and English). Tallinn: Eesti Kõrgkoolidevaheline Demouuringute Keskus. pp. 31–32. ISBN 9985-820-86-X.
  5. Население районов, городов и поселков городского типа Эстонской ССР : по данным Всесоюзной переписи населения на 15 января 1970 года (in Russian). Tallinn: Eesti NSV Statistika Keskvalitsus. 1972. p. 79.
  6. Eesti Vabariigi maakondade, linnade ja alevite rahvastik. 1. osa, Rahvaarv rahvuse, perekonnaseisu, hariduse ja elatusallikate järgi : 1989. a. rahvaloenduse andmed (in Estonian). Tallinn: Eesti Vabariigi Riiklik Statistikaamet. 1990. pp. 30, 35. ISBN 978-9949-7193-2-7 – via Digar.
  7. "RL222: RAHVASTIK ELUKOHA JA RAHVUSE JÄRGI". Estonian Statistical Database (in Estonian).
  8. "RL0429: RAHVASTIK RAHVUSE, SOO, VANUSERÜHMA JA ELUKOHA JÄRGI, 31. DETSEMBER 2011". Estonian Statistical Database. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  9. "RL21429: Rahvastik Rahvuse, Soo, Vanuserühma Ja ELukoha (Haldusüksus) Järgi, 31. DETSEMBER 2021". Estonian Statistical Database (in Estonian).
Notes

Notes

  1. Data for 'Rapla borough' and 'Rapla railway station' has been summed for convenience
External links

Media related to Rapla at Wikimedia Commons