Historedia
EuropeEvent

Russo-Turkish War: destruction of Stara Zagora and massacre of its inhabitants

When
1877
Where
Stara Zagora
Episodes
3

During the Russo-Turkish War, Ottoman forces destroyed Stara Zagora and massacred civilians in late July 1877. The violence followed the city's liberation by Russian forces and subsequent retreat, resulting in significant casualties and the burning of the town.

Episodes

  1. 22 July 1877 · Stara ZagoraLiberation and Refugee Influx

    Count Gurko's forces liberated Stara Zagora, causing the population to swell to nearly 40,000 as refugees fled nearby villages fearing Ottoman reprisals.

  2. 31 July 1877 · Stara ZagoraBattle of Eski Zagra

    Ottoman troops attacked Stara Zagora, defeating the skeleton garrison of Bulgarian volunteers and forcing Count Gurko to retreat towards the Hainboaz Pass.

  3. 31 July–2 August 1877 · Stara ZagoraMassacre and Burning

    Regular Ottoman troops committed mass murder of civilians and burned the city, with casualty estimates ranging from 14,000 to 30,000.

Background and detail

Background. Stara Zagora was liberated by Count Gurko's forces in July 1877, causing a population surge as refugees sought protection from Ottoman reprisals. The city's skeleton garrison of Bulgarian volunteers faced heavy losses when Ottoman troops attacked, forcing a Russian retreat towards the Hainboaz Pass.

Massacre and Destruction. Regular Ottoman troops commanded by Süleyman Hüsnü Pasha committed mass murder of approximately 14,000 civilian Bulgarians. The city was burned and completely destroyed during the Battle of Eski Zagra. Some sources cite higher casualty figures, including 30,000 citizens from Stara Zagora and nearby villages.

Aftermath. The massacre involved the sale of young women and girls in Ottoman slave markets. Following the war, Stara Zagora was rebuilt with a modern rectangular checkerboard layout designed by architect Lubor Bayer in 1878, becoming part of autonomous Eastern Rumelia.

People involved

Sources

  1. Stara Zagora massacre Wikipedia, revision of 2026-07-23
  2. Stara Zagora Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-08

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.