Overvoltage protection device with a housing, with two terminals (3, 4) for electrical connection of the overvoltage protection device to the current path which is to be protected and with at least one arrester designed as a varistor, which is located within the housing, wherein, in the normal state of the overvoltage protection device, the first terminal is connected in an electrically conductive manner to the first connecting region of the varistor and the second terminal is connected to the second connecting region of the varistor via at least one component (7, 8), wherein, within the housing there is a fusible element of metallic material, wherein the fusible element is cylindrical and has two contact regions (11, 12) and a connecting region which connects the contact regions (11, 12) to one another, wherein the first contact region of the fusible element is connected in an electrically conductive manner to the second connecting region of the varistor and the second contact region of the fusible element in the normal state of the overvoltage protection device is connected in an electrically conductive manner to the component (7, 8), so that the connecting region is formed by material reduction as a fusible link such that short pulsed currents which result from overvoltages which are to be discharged from the overvoltage protection device can be transmitted via the connecting region, while, in case of a fault, line-frequency short circuit currents which are flowing via the overvoltage protection device overload the connecting region so that the connecting region is destroyed, and that the two contact regions (11, 12) extend essentially perpendicular to the connecting region characterized in that the connecting region has a lattice structure, wherein the individual lattice braces of the connecting region are used as current paths and have a small cross section. wherein, within the housing there is a fusible element of metallic material, wherein the fusible element is cylindrical and has two contact regions (11, 12) and a connecting region which connects the contact regions (11, 12) to one another, wherein the first contact region of the fusible element is connected in an electrically conductive manner to the second connecting region of the varistor and the second contact region of the fusible element in the normal state of the overvoltage protection device is connected in an electrically conductive manner to the component (7, 8), so that the connecting region is formed by material reduction as a fusible link such that short pulsed currents which result from overvoltages which are to be discharged from the overvoltage protection device can be transmitted via the connecting region, while, in case of a fault, line-frequency short circuit currents which are flowing via the overvoltage protection device overload the connecting region so that the connecting region is destroyed, and that the two contact regions (11, 12) extend essentially perpendicular to the connecting region characterized in that the connecting region has a lattice structure, wherein the individual lattice braces of the connecting region are used as current paths and have a small cross section.