[en] A device for removing after-heat and/or for the emergency cooling of a water-cooled nuclear reactor should prevent the after-cooling pipe carrying the primary coolant from taking contamination outside the safety containment vessel. For this reason the after-cooling pipe including the allocated after-cooling pump and the heat exchanger are situated inside the safety containment vessel. The turbine and the heat exchanger are connected to an emergency cooling pipe, which can be switched over for the emergency cooling of the reactor core. The water flowing in the emergency cooling pipe drives the after-cooling pump via the turbine. After leaving the turbine, the water flows through the heat exchanger and thus gives up the heat of the medium flowing in the after-cooling pipe. (orig./PW)