Disclosed are polymerizable liquid-crystalline compounds of the general formula (I) where A1 and A2 are identical or different and are each a crosslinkable group; the radicals X are identical or different and are each a single bond, —O—, —S—, —C═N—, —O—CO—, —CO—O—, —O—CO—O—, —CO—NR—, —NR—CO—, —NR—, —O—CO—NR, —NR—CO—O—, —CH2—O— or —NR—CO—NR, in which R is H or C1-C4-alkyl; and M is a mesogenic group, a process for their preparation and their use for preparing cholesteric phases.