Hydraulic drive, in particular for a press, a punching or nibbling machine, 1.1 having a double-acting working cylinder (3.5), the piston (3.6) of which has a first working surface (3.15) effective in retraction direction and a second working surface (3.16) effective in the extension direction, which each define a pressure chamber (3.7, 3.8), wherein 1.2 for retracting and extending the piston (3.6) into and out of the working cylinder (3.5) at least two different pressures can be switched on at least one of the working surfaces (3.15, 3.16) by means of an actuator, wherein 1.3 the hydraulic drive has an actuating unit, which alternately enables a throttled return flow or a comparatively unthrottled return flow of hydraulic medium from the first pressure chamber (3.8) delimited by the first working surface (3.15), characterized in that 1.4 the drive has control means with which before an abrupt acceleration of the piston (3.6) due to its sudden power relief, the actuating unit is triggered such that as a result of a throttling, which is caused directly or indirectly by the actuating unit, of the previously relatively unthrottled return flow of hydraulic medium from the first pressure chamber (3.8) a hydraulic damping of the movement of the piston (3.6) takes place in that 1.5 the actuating unit, in response to a pressure increase in the second pressure chamber (3.7) delimited by the second working surface (3.16) switches in such a way that said actuating unit produces the increasingly throttled return flow of hydraulic fluid from the first pressure chamber (3.8) delimited by the first working surface (3.15) at a pressure increase in the second pressure chamber (3.7). 1.1 having a double-acting working cylinder (3.5), the piston (3.6) of which has a first working surface (3.15) effective in retraction direction and a second working surface (3.16) effective in the extension direction, which each define a pressure chamber (3.7, 3.8), wherein 1.2 for retracting and extending the piston (3.6) into and out of the working cylinder (3.5) at least two different pressures can be switched on at least one of the working surfaces (3.15, 3.16) by means of an actuator, wherein 1.3 the hydraulic drive has an actuating unit, which alternately enables a throttled return flow or a comparatively unthrottled return flow of hydraulic medium from the first pressure chamber (3.8) delimited by the first working surface (3.15), characterized in that 1.4 the drive has control means with which before an abrupt acceleration of the piston (3.6) due to its sudden power relief, the actuating unit is triggered such that as a result of a throttling, which is caused directly or indirectly by the actuating unit, of the previously relatively unthrottled return flow of hydraulic medium from the first pressure chamber (3.8) a hydraulic damping of the movement of the piston (3.6) takes place in that 1.5 the actuating unit, in response to a pressure increase in the second pressure chamber (3.7) delimited by the second working surface (3.16) switches in such a way that said actuating unit produces the increasingly throttled return flow of hydraulic fluid from the first pressure chamber (3.8) delimited by the first working surface (3.15) at a pressure increase in the second pressure chamber (3.7).