Device for cooling at least knife-carrying element (102.1, 102.2) of cut-to-length shears installed in a rolling mill, particularly in a hot-strip rolling mill, comprising a protective device and a guide device at which the protective device is guided to be movable and is thereby able to be moved between a cooling position and a cutting position, wherein the protective device in the cooling position is positioned between a knife-carrying element (102.1, 102.2) and a rolled strip, which continuously runs through the rolling mill, so that a side, which is opposite the rolled strip, of the knife-carrying element (102.1, 102.2) is screened by the protective device, and wherein the protective device in the cutting position is spaced from a movement field of the knife-carrying element (102.1, 102.2) so that on movement of the knife-carrying element (102.1, 102.2) or on cutting through the rolled strip the protective device is not contacted by this knife-carrying element (102.1, 102.2), characterised in that the guide device is constructed in the form of gate guides (108.1 - 108.4) arranged on either side of the rolled strip, wherein the protective device is movably guided by its two ends at the gate guides (108.1 - 108.4), wherein the gate guides (108.1- 108.4) are mounted at the inner sides of the lateral support stands of the cut-to-length shears and a respective first curved guide gate (109.1) and second curved guide gate (109.2) are formed in the gate guides (108.1 - 108.4), wherein a track curve, which is defined by the curved guide gates (109.1, 109.2), faces convexly outwardly with respect to an adjacent knife drum (102.1, 102.2) and wherein the guide gates (109.1, 109.2) are arranged in a gate guide (108.1 - 108.4) to be partly overlapping. a protective device and a guide device at which the protective device is guided to be movable and is thereby able to be moved between a cooling position and a cutting position, wherein the protective device in the cooling position is positioned between a knife-carrying element (102.1, 102.2) and a rolled strip, which continuously runs through the rolling mill, so that a side, which is opposite the rolled strip, of the knife-carrying element (102.1, 102.2) is screened by the protective device, and wherein the protective device in the cutting position is spaced from a movement field of the knife-carrying element (102.1, 102.2) so that on movement of the knife-carrying element (102.1, 102.2) or on cutting through the rolled strip the protective device is not contacted by this knife-carrying element (102.1, 102.2), characterised in that the guide device is constructed in the form of gate guides (108.1 - 108.4) arranged on either side of the rolled strip, wherein the protective device is movably guided by its two ends at the gate guides (108.1 - 108.4), wherein the gate guides (108.1- 108.4) are mounted at the inner sides of the lateral support stands of the cut-to-length shears and a respective first curved guide gate (109.1) and second curved guide gate (109.2) are formed in the gate guides (108.1 - 108.4), wherein a track curve, which is defined by the curved guide gates (109.1, 109.2), faces convexly outwardly with respect to an adjacent knife drum (102.1, 102.2) and wherein the guide gates (109.1, 109.2) are arranged in a gate guide (108.1 - 108.4) to be partly overlapping.