A device has a converter which is connected to a direct voltage circuit through a short-circuit protection unit. The short-circuit protection unit is arranged at least partially in the direct voltage circuit and is provided in the direct voltage circuit to suppress short-circuit current flowing through the converter. The device contains one or more controllable power semiconductors, wherein a protection element is arranged in parallel to at least one of the controllable power semiconductors. The device prevents the negative effects of a short circuit occurring in the direct voltage network in a particularly reliable manner. For this purpose, the protection element is an energy store.