Operating circuit for an electrodeless low-pressure discharge lamp

A circuit for operating a low-pressure gas discharge lamp (E), having a load circuit (CK, CR, L1, L2) which applies radio-frequency power to the lamp, a frequency generator (C0, TO, TU) for operating the load circuit, and a drive circuit (Ci, CP, CS, LP, LS, TR) for driving the frequency generator, characterized in that the circuit is designed for operating an electrodeless low-pressure gas discharge lamp (E) and has a switching system which operates in a freewheeling fashion close to resonance and contains the load circuit with the lamp and the drive circuit, the load circuit (CK, CR, L1, L2) has a series resonant circuit (CK, CR, L2) and a branch which is connected in parallel with a part (CR) of the resonant circuit and has a coil (L1) which is applied to the lamp (E), the resonance capacitor (CR) forming a parallel resonant circuit (L1, CR) with the coil (L1) and belonging to both resonant circuits.