diff --git a/Modules/Overlays/QmitkCustomWidgetOverlay.cpp b/Modules/Overlays/QmitkCustomWidgetOverlay.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ebfe2feb5b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Modules/Overlays/QmitkCustomWidgetOverlay.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+/*=========================================================================
+
+Program:   Medical Imaging & Interaction Toolkit
+Language:  C++
+Date:      $Date: 2010-01-14 14:20:26 +0100 (Thu, 14 Jan 2010) $
+Version:   $Revision: 21047 $
+
+Copyright (c) German Cancer Research Center, Division of Medical and
+Biological Informatics. All rights reserved.
+See MITKCopyright.txt or http://www.mitk.org/copyright.html for details.
+
+This software is distributed WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even
+the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
+PURPOSE.  See the above copyright notices for more information.
+
+=========================================================================*/
+
+#include "QmitkCustomWidgetOverlay.h"
+
+
+QmitkCustomWidgetOverlay::QmitkCustomWidgetOverlay( const char* id )
+: QmitkOverlay(id)
+{
+  QmitkOverlay::AddDropShadow( m_Widget );
+}
+
+QmitkCustomWidgetOverlay::~QmitkCustomWidgetOverlay()
+{
+}
+
+void QmitkCustomWidgetOverlay::SetWidget( QWidget* widget )
+{
+  if ( widget != NULL )
+  {
+    m_Widget = widget;
+  }
+}
+
+
+
diff --git a/Modules/Overlays/QmitkCustomWidgetOverlay.h b/Modules/Overlays/QmitkCustomWidgetOverlay.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e9c50220e3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Modules/Overlays/QmitkCustomWidgetOverlay.h
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+/*=========================================================================
+
+Program:   Medical Imaging & Interaction Toolkit
+Language:  C++
+Date:      $Date: 2009-05-28 17:19:30 +0200 (Thu, 28 May 2009) $
+Version:   $Revision: 17495 $
+
+Copyright (c) German Cancer Research Center, Division of Medical and
+Biological Informatics. All rights reserved.
+See MITKCopyright.txt or http://www.mitk.org/copyright.html for details.
+
+This software is distributed WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even
+the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
+PURPOSE.  See the above copyright notices for more information.
+
+=========================================================================*/
+
+
+#ifndef QmitkCustomWidgetOverlay_H_HEADER_INCLUDED_C10DC4EB
+#define QmitkCustomWidgetOverlay_H_HEADER_INCLUDED_C10DC4EB
+
+// MITK
+#include "QmitkOverlay.h"
+
+#include "OverlaysExports.h"
+
+
+/** \class  QmitkCustomWidgetOverlay
+* \brief object representing a custom widget that is handled and positioned 
+* as an overlay.
+*
+* A QmitkCustomWidgetOverlay is a generic sub-class of QmitkOverlay. It 
+* offers the possibility to set the internal m_Widget from the outside.
+* 
+* This offers the possibility to position custom widgets 'on top of' other
+* widgets using the positioning mechanism of all overlays.
+*
+* \warn The custom widgets need to be configured and connected manually. 
+* Properties cannot be set.
+* 
+* \ingroup Overlays
+*/
+
+
+  class Overlays_EXPORT QmitkCustomWidgetOverlay : public QmitkOverlay
+  {
+  public:
+
+    /**
+    * @brief Default Constructor
+    **/
+    QmitkCustomWidgetOverlay( const char* id );
+
+    /**
+    * @brief Default Destructor
+    **/
+    virtual ~QmitkCustomWidgetOverlay();
+
+    void SetWidget( QWidget* widget );
+
+  };
+
+
+#endif /* QmitkCustomWidgetOverlay_H_HEADER_INCLUDED_C10DC4EB */
+
diff --git a/Modules/Overlays/files.cmake b/Modules/Overlays/files.cmake
index 1d3b3feef8..590b6bb3b2 100644
--- a/Modules/Overlays/files.cmake
+++ b/Modules/Overlays/files.cmake
@@ -1,14 +1,17 @@
-set(CPP_FILES
+SET(CPP_FILES
+  QmitkCustomWidgetOverlay.cpp
   QmitkOverlay.cpp
   QmitkOverlayController.cpp
   QmitkScalarBar.cpp
   QmitkScalarBarOverlay.cpp
   QmitkTextOverlay.cpp
 )
 
-set(MOC_H_FILES
+
+SET(MOC_H_FILES
+  QmitkCustomWidgetOverlay.h
   QmitkOverlay.h
   QmitkOverlayController.h
   QmitkScalarBar.h
   QmitkScalarBarOverlay.h
 )
\ No newline at end of file