A UV radiator has an essentially tubular discharge vessel designed to produce dielectric barrier discharges at one end and sealed in a gas-tight manner at both ends, and in each case at least one elongate inner and outer electrode which is oriented parallel to the longitudinal axis of the discharge vessel. If it is imagined that the tubular part of the discharge vessel is split into two equal halves by an imaginary longitudinal section, the at least one inner electrode is arranged on the inside of the first imaginary tube half, and the at least one outer electrode is arranged on the outside of the second imaginary tube half, and essentially diametrically with respect to one another. As a result, and as a result of the shape and number and arrangement of the outer electrode(s), directional radiation characteristics are achieved.