A cooling and retaining body for holding heating elements, in particular PTC heating elements, having a heating-element holder, in which the heating elements are mounted. The heating element holder has a plurality of circumferentially distributed accommodating regions, in each of which at least one heating element is arranged, wherein the accommodating regions are formed between an outer part and an inner part, which is arranged in the outer part, and at least the outer part has a polygonal profile with a number of corners connected by sides, wherein the accommodating regions are arranged in the corners of the polygonal profile, and the sides of the polygonal profile are deformed elastically in order to generate a clamping force which acts on the respective heating elements.