A vacuum valve including a valve body with a valve orifice, a closure member for closing the valve orifice, a first piston-cylinder unit, a second piston-cylinder unit, a first control element, and a second control element. When opening the vacuum valve, a pressure medium line, which applies pressure to the opening cylinder space of the second piston-cylinder unit, is blocked during the first part of the opening process, and is released at the end of the first part of the opening process by the first control element. When closing the vacuum valve, a pressure medium line, which applies pressure to the closing cylinder space of the first piston-cylinder unit, is blocked during the first part of the closing process, and is released by the second control element at the end of the first part of the closing process.