Abstract: A method of manufacturing a low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp having a discharge envelope sealed in a vacuum-tight manner and comprising four substantially parallel co-extending glass tube parts (1,2,3,4), adjacent tube parts (1,2) being connected through a cross-coupling (5) to each other so that during operation of the lamp the major part of each of the tube parts (1,2,3,4) as well as the cross-couplings (5,6,7) are traversed by the discharge.According to the invention, first a cross-coupling (24) is established between a first tube part (20) having a length l.sub.1, which is sealed at one end (20a) and comprises at the other end an electrode (22), and a tube part (18) likewise sealed at one end (18a) having a length l.sub.1 +l.sub.2, which tube part (18) comprises at its other end an electrode (16), the tube part (18) being subdivided at (18b) into two tube parts, one of which has a length l.sub.1 (26) and the other has a length l.sub.2 (27), the tube part having a length l.sub.

Abstract: Low-pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp having a discharge vessel (1, 2, 3) which contains with mercury and a rare gas and is of such a shape that the ends of the discharge vessel where the electrodes (4, 5) are arranged are in a side-by-side relationship, these ends being connected to a lamp base (8) which has an axially projecting sleeve-shaped wall portion (12) of a cross-section which deviates from the circular and in which at least a starter (13) is included, a respective connecting pin (10, 11) which is shorter than the length of the projecting wall portion being provided on either side of the said projecting wall portion.The projecting portion serves as a locating guide when inserting the lamp base in a holder (15), thereby inter alia preventing damage to the pins, and also serves as a housing for a starter switch (13) and a capacitor (14).