The role of the hole-transport layer (HTL) in CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite solar cells is investigated. It is found that it mainly serves three purposes: First, deposited prior to the gold electrode, it avoids direct contact of the metal electrode with the meso porous TiO2-perovskite layer, and therefore increases the selectivity of the contact. This reduces recombination as evident from an increased open-circuit voltage and a higher luminescence efficiency. Second, the HTL increases the internal quantum efficiency independent of applied voltage and illumination wavelength by reducing (diffusion) losses of charges. Third, due to a smoothing of the TiO2-perovskite mesoscopic layer the HTL increases the reflectivity of the gold electrode, allowing for a second path of the light through the absorber. Both effects result in an enhancement of the short-circuit current density.