Vacuum switch

In a vacuum switch comprising a vacuum vessel having an insulating cylinder and end plates which are air-tightly sealed to both ends of said insulating cylinder, relatively movable first and second contacts, and a bellows attached to one of said end plates, the improvement which comprises a first metal plate having a first annular edge portion and a relatively long first cylindrical reentrant portion extending from the inner end of said first edge portion in parallel with said insulating cylinder, a second metal plate having a second annular edge portion opposed to said first edge portion and a second cylindrical reentrant portion extending from the inner end of said second edge portion in parallel with said insulating cylinder, said second reentrant portion being coaxial with said first reentrant portion, said first and second edge portions being disposed in parallel with a predetermined spacing therebetween, and means for separating said contacts such that said contacts are firstly separated in said first reentrant portion of said first metal plate at the time of current interruption and that one of said contacts is then moved into the second cylindrical reentrant portion of said second metal plate for increasing the insulating distance after the current interruption.