A high pressure mercury lamp for a projector device in which a discharge vessel made of quartz glass is filled with at least 0.15 mg/mm3 mercury in which both devitrification of as well as damage to the discharge vessel can be eliminated is obtained by the quartz glass of the discharge vessel being given a fictive temperature of 1000° C. to 1250° C., a total content of alkali metals of 0.1 ppm by weight to 3 ppm by weight and an aluminum content of from 1 ppm by weight to 30 ppm by weight.