diff --git a/CMakeExternals/Python.cmake b/CMakeExternals/Python.cmake
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..6959195409
--- /dev/null
+++ b/CMakeExternals/Python.cmake
@@ -0,0 +1,128 @@
+if( MITK_USE_Python AND NOT MITK_USE_SYSTEM_PYTHON )
+ if(NOT DEFINED Python_DIR)
+  set(proj Python)
+  set(proj_DEPENDENCIES )
+  set(Python_DEPENDS ${proj})
+
+  set(PYTHON_MAJOR_VERSION 2)
+  set(PYTHON_MINOR_VERSION 7)
+  set(PYTHON_PATCH_VERSION 3)
+
+  # download the source code
+  ExternalProject_Add(Python-src
+    URL "https://www.python.org/ftp/python/${PYTHON_MAJOR_VERSION}.${PYTHON_MINOR_VERSION}.${PYTHON_PATCH_VERSION}/Python-${PYTHON_MAJOR_VERSION}.${PYTHON_MINOR_VERSION}.${PYTHON_PATCH_VERSION}.tgz"
+    #URL_MD5 "d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e"
+    #DOWNLOAD_DIR ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}
+    SOURCE_DIR  "${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/Python-${PYTHON_MAJOR_VERSION}.${PYTHON_MINOR_VERSION}.${PYTHON_PATCH_VERSION}"
+    CONFIGURE_COMMAND ""
+    BUILD_COMMAND ""
+    INSTALL_COMMAND ""
+  )
+
+  set(additional_cmake_cache_args )
+  list(APPEND additional_cmake_cache_args
+      -DBUILTIN_ARRAY:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_AUDIOOP:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_BINASCII:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_BISECT:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_BSDB:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_BSSDB:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_BZ2:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_CMATH:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_COLLECTIONS:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_CODECS_CN:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_CODECS_HK:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_CODECS_ISO2022:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_CODECS_JP:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_CODECS_KR:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_CODECS_TW:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_CPICKLE:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_CRYPT:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_CSTRINGIO:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_CSV:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_CTYPES:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_CTYPES_TEST:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_CURSES:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_DATETIME:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_DBM:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_ELEMENTTREE:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_FCNTL:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_FUNCTOOLS:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_FUTURE_BUILTINS:BOOL=ON
+      -DBULTIN_GDBM:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_GRP:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_HASHLIB:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_HEAPQ:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_HOTSHOT:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_IO:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_ITERTOOLS:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_JSON:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_LOCALE:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_LSPROF:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_MATH:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_MMAP:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_MULTIBYTECODEC:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_MD5:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_MULTIPROCESSING:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_NIS:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_NIT:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_OPERATOR:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_PARSER:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_POSIX:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_PWD:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_PYEXPAT:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_READLINE:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_RESOURCE:BOOL=ON
+      -DBULTIN_RANDOM:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_SCPROXY:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_SELECT:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_SHA:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_SHA256:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_SHA512:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_SOCKET:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_SPWD:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_SQLITE3:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_SSL:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_STROP:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_STRUCT:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_SUBPROCESS:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_SYSLOG:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_TERMIOS:BOOL=ON
+      #-DBUILTIN_TESTCAPI:BOOL=OFF
+      -DBUILTIN_TIME:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_TKINTER:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_UNICODEDATA:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_WINREG:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILTIN_ZLIB:BOOL=ON
+      )
+
+  # CMake build environment for python
+  ExternalProject_Add(${proj}
+    GIT_REPOSITORY "git://github.com/davidsansome/python-cmake-buildsystem.git"
+    GIT_TAG "3c5864f210a8d0ae1196be7c691252e16e459f59"
+    SOURCE_DIR ${proj}-cmake
+    BINARY_DIR ${proj}-build
+    CMAKE_CACHE_ARGS
+      -DCMAKE_CXX_COMPILER:FILEPATH=${CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER}
+      -DCMAKE_C_COMPILER:FILEPATH=${CMAKE_C_COMPILER}
+      -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX:PATH=${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/${proj}-install
+      #-DBUILD_TESTING:BOOL=OFF
+      -DBUILD_SHARED:BOOL=ON
+      -DBUILD_STATIC:BOOL=OFF
+      -DUSE_SYSTEM_LIBRARIES:BOOL=ON
+      ${additional_cmake_cache_args}
+      ${ep_common_args}
+    DEPENDS
+      Python-src ${${proj}_DEPENDENCIES}
+  )
+
+  set(Python_DIR "${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/${proj}-install")
+  set(PYTHON_EXECUTABLE "${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/${proj}-build/bin/python${CMAKE_EXECUTABLE_SUFFIX}")
+  set(PYTHON_INCLUDE_DIR "${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/${proj}-install/include/python${PYTHON_MAJOR_VERSION}.${PYTHON_MINOR_VERSION}")
+  set(PYTHON_LIBRARY "${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/${proj}-build/lib/${CMAKE_SHARED_LIBRARY_PREFIX}python${PYTHON_MAJOR_VERSION}.${PYTHON_MINOR_VERSION}${CMAKE_SHARED_LIBRARY_SUFFIX}")
+
+ else()
+  mitkMacroEmptyExternalProject(${proj} "${proj_DEPENDENCIES}")
+ endif()
+endif()
+