During the 19th century, Pirot and its region underwent a dramatic transformation from an Ottoman kasaba into a modern Serbian border town following its liberation in 1878, facing the loss of the Sofia market and a severe economic shock. The Serbo-Bulgarian War (1885–1886) brought a month-long Bulgarian occupation, the suffering of surrounding villages, and internal divisions, which the state later addressed through high treason trials as well as mass pardons to reintegrate the region. A severe agricultural crisis—caused by phylloxera, hail-damaged harvest years, harsh tax foreclosures, and usury—further devastated rural households and traditional family cooperatives. Migratory labor (pečalbarstvo) became established as the primary survival mechanism through organized work groups (tajfe), with Pirot's craftsmen and builders gaining renown and inc ...