Described is a high-voltage circuit breaker provided with two opposite-arranged arcing contacts, which are surrounded by an insulating nozzle. Furthermore provided are two main contacts, arranged opposite each other outside of the insulating nozzle, with respectively one of these contacts being assigned to one of the two arcing contacts. The high-voltage circuit breaker is provided, in at least one embodiment, with at least one device for diverting an insulating gas flow from the region between the two arcing contacts, wherein a respective insulating gas flow is conducted outside of the insulating nozzle and in the direction toward the main contacts. A diverting device is provided, which is equipped with a mechanism for diverting insulating gas from the insulating gas flow that is diverted from the region between the two arcing contacts, such that the two insulating gas flows moving from both directions toward the main contacts have approximately the same effect on the insulating gas that is present in the region of the two main contacts, thereby ensuring that the insulating gas is not displaced significantly in this region.