The present invention relates to an electric switching apparatus, in particular a DC contactor. The switching apparatus has at least one switching point as well as at least one arc-quenching device that is assigned to the switching point. The arc-quenching device comprises at least one quenching element and at least one permanent magnet for influencing an arc that arises during the switching process. The arc is blown into the quenching element by a magnetic field that is created by the permanent magnet. It is provided according to the invention that the at least one permanent magnet forms at the same time the quenching element and that it is arranged and polarized in a way that the arc is attracted by the permanent magnet and thereby sucked onto the permanent magnet and quenched by said permanent magnet.