Abstract: A magnetic plate or holder, especially for machine tools, of the type in which a magnetically attractable workpiece can be retained by magnetic force on the plate for a machining process, e.g. surface grinding, comprises a pole plate, a frame of soft magnetic material and a sole plate of soft magnetic material. Within the frame there is disposed a stack of alternately hard magnetic material, magnets of high coercive force and magnetic cores of low coercive force provided with respective energizing coils. In the inoperative position of the system, the electromagnetic cores are magnetized opposite the high-coercive-force hard magnetic members and, in the inoperative position of the magnetic plate, the magnetic cores are magnetized in the same sense as the hard magnetic bodies, thereby closing a magnetic short circuit field through the stack, the frame and the sole plate.