The equestrian statue of Theodoros Kolokotronis (1770-1843), the pre-eminent hero of the Greek War of Independence, is the first bronze monument erected in modern Greece. The mayor of Nafplion proposed the idea in 1877, but the project faced seemingly insurmountable problems. Such a massive sculpture was very expensive, it was challenging to find the necessary quantity of metal, and there were no foundries in Greece that were large enough to execute the order. A crowdfunding campaign solved the first problem. The use of old Ottoman guns left in Palamidi provided much of the necessary bronze. Finally, the Fonderie Thiébaut Frères in Paris cast the statue according to a design by Lazaros Sochos (1862-1911), a prominent Greek sculptor from the island of Tinos. The sculpture was ready in 1900, but it took another year to prepare the marble base and reveal the statue.