A method is provided for precooling a cryostat having a hollow cold head turret into which a neck tube protrudes and connects an object to be cooled to the exterior of the cryostat, wherein a cold head having a cold head stage for cooling a cryogenic working medium may be introduced into the neck tube. During a condensation operation the cryogenic working medium flows through a heat pipe into an evaporator chamber which is thermally conductively connected to the object to be cooled. During a precooling phase a precisely fitting, thermally conductive short circuit block is inserted through the neck tube into the heat pipe to provide thermal conduction between the object to be cooled and a cooling device The short circuit block is removed from the heat pipe after the target temperature is reached, and heat is subsequently transmitted through the heat pipe during a condensation operation.