In 1645 an old plan was revived: the construction of a tower for the Calvinist Nieuwe Kerk. The great man behind these plans was Burgemeester Willem Backer, nicknamed “the golden pillar of the church”. The tower had to be just a little higher than the tower of the Dom in Utrecht: a symbol of hated Catholic glory. In the end, however, only the base was built. The city authorities gave priority to the building of the new city hall. Utrecht still has the highest church tower.