FB Gulbene

FB Gulbene (formerly "FB Gulbene-2005") is a Latvian football club based in Gulbene. The club plays its home matches at the Gulbenes Sporta Centrs stadium with capacity of 1,500 people. They were promoted to the Latvian Higher League for the 2015 season. However, on 3 June 2015, they were expelled from the top league and their results expunged on suspicion of match-fixing.

History

FB Gulbene were founded on May 24, 2005 as "FB Gulbene-2005". The club started its participation in the Latvian Second League in 2007, finishing in the 4th place. In 2008 FB Gulbene-2005 played in the Latvian First League and finished in the 14th place at the end of the season. The 2009 season was yet again spent in the Second League that is the third tier of Latvian football. The club finished in the 4th place, being promoted to the First League. In 2010 ambitions got higher as Romāns Lajuks became the president of the team. Several players with Latvian Higher League experience were invited to join, and not surprisingly the team won the Latvian First League that year, being promoted to the Latvian Higher League.

Gulbene

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Gulbene ( pronunciation ; German: Schwanenburg) and the surrounding Gulbene municipality are located in North-eastern Latvia and adjoin the Alūksne, Balvi, Madona, Cēsis and Valka regions.

The area of this region is 11.898 km², with a population of 29,797 inhabitants (10,015 urban, 19,782 rural population).

History

Historical documents first mention the 1224 land division act between the Order of the Sword Brothers and the Bishop of Riga. In the 14th century the Archbishop of Riga built a stone castle around which a populated area was formed.

Vecgulbene (Old Gulbene) estate complex was built in the middle and second half of the 19th century. The most significant buildings are the White Palace (Brivibas St. 12), the Red Palace (Parka St. 1) and the magazine granary (Brivibas St. 9). Both palaces have been destroyed and rebuilt several times. Since 1924 the elementary school of the city occupies the Red Palace.

After the construction of the Stukmani to Valka narrow-gauge railway in 1903 and subsequent broad-gauge line construction during World War I, Vecgulbene was established as an important railway junction, and in 1920 it was given the rights of a small village. During the first period of Latvian independence, besides those employed by the railways, small business, trades and crafts were the most important economic activities in the town. After World War II, during the Soviet occupation, Gulbene initially became a district, and later, in 1950, a regional centre. In the 1960s and 1970s branches of several major industrial companies were established in the city. Local enterprise was mainly involved with wood processing.