A device for drying objects, in particular painted vehicle bodies, having a) a drying tunnel whereof the interior is filled with an inert gas atmosphere; b) an inlet air-lock region, which is connected upstream of the drying tunnel, comprises at least one gas exchange chamber and separates the inert gas atmosphere prevailing inside the drying tunnel from the external normal gas atmosphere; c) an outlet air-lock region, which is connected downstream of the drying tunnel, comprises at least one gas exchange chamber and separates the inert gas atmosphere prevailing inside the drying tunnel from the external normal gas atmosphere; d) a conveyor system (7, 8, 9), which guides the objects through the inlet air-lock region, the drying tunnel and the outlet air-lock region; e) a storage container for inert gas, which can be connected to the gas exchange chambers (16; 31) of the inlet air-lock region and the outlet air-lock region; wherein f) the gas exchange chambers (16, 31) of the inlet air-lock region and the outlet air-lock region can be connected directly to the external atmosphere optionally either by means of a pump, which can extract the atmosphere present in the gas exchange chambers (16, 31) by suction and convey it into the external atmosphere, or by way of a controllable valve (19, 28); characterised in that g) the gas exchange chambers (16, 31) of the inlet air-lock region and the outlet air-lock region can be connected to one another by way of a connecting path (17, 30, 35, 36), in which at least one pump is located, in such a way that inert gas can be pumped from one gas exchange chamber (16, 31) into the respective other gas exchange chamber (31, 16). a) a drying tunnel whereof the interior is filled with an inert gas atmosphere; b) an inlet air-lock region, which is connected upstream of the drying tunnel, comprises at least one gas exchange chamber and separates the inert gas atmosphere prevailing inside the drying tunnel from the external normal gas atmosphere; c) an outlet air-lock region, which is connected downstream of the drying tunnel, comprises at least one gas exchange chamber and separates the inert gas atmosphere prevailing inside the drying tunnel from the external normal gas atmosphere; d) a conveyor system (7, 8, 9), which guides the objects through the inlet air-lock region, the drying tunnel and the outlet air-lock region; e) a storage container for inert gas, which can be connected to the gas exchange chambers (16; 31) of the inlet air-lock region and the outlet air-lock region; f) the gas exchange chambers (16, 31) of the inlet air-lock region and the outlet air-lock region can be connected directly to the external atmosphere optionally either by means of a pump, which can extract the atmosphere present in the gas exchange chambers (16, 31) by suction and convey it into the external atmosphere, or by way of a controllable valve (19, 28); g) the gas exchange chambers (16, 31) of the inlet air-lock region and the outlet air-lock region can be connected to one another by way of a connecting path (17, 30, 35, 36), in which at least one pump is located, in such a way that inert gas can be pumped from one gas exchange chamber (16, 31) into the respective other gas exchange chamber (31, 16).