diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 14eca8625e989d3e44b55fedf8f1a0ddfea17b1a..73083d29f17734f7e1e76889c042119b084c1bfc 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -3,3 +3,4 @@ add_python_targets(geometry
   _referenceelements
   quadpy
 )
+dune_add_pybind11_module(NAME _geometry)
diff --git a/__init__.py b/__init__.py
index 67e19d2d885476ec2b7bdb5aedbbbc8d36425b0e..857d92734bbf56d26b6b6159244301794d3fdf4a 100644
--- a/__init__.py
+++ b/__init__.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-from .._geometry import *
+from ._geometry import *
 from ._referenceelements import *
 import numpy
 
diff --git a/_geometry.cc b/_geometry.cc
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..defba1f4b21dbc5856a5597b76af675e9bd56806
--- /dev/null
+++ b/_geometry.cc
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+// -*- tab-width: 4; indent-tabs-mode: nil; c-basic-offset: 2 -*-
+// vi: set et ts=4 sw=2 sts=2:
+
+#include <dune/python/geometry/type.hh>
+#include <dune/python/pybind11/pybind11.h>
+
+PYBIND11_MODULE( _geometry, module )
+{
+  Dune::Python::registerGeometryType( module );
+
+  // register geometry type contuctors
+  module.def( "simplex", [] ( int dim ) { return Dune::GeometryTypes::simplex( dim ); } );
+  module.def( "cube", [] ( int dim ) { return Dune::GeometryTypes::cube( dim ); } );
+  module.def( "none", [] ( int dim ) { return Dune::GeometryTypes::none( dim ); } );
+
+  // register predefined geometry types
+  module.attr( "vertex" ) = Dune::GeometryTypes::vertex;
+  module.attr( "line" ) = Dune::GeometryTypes::line;
+  module.attr( "triangle" ) = Dune::GeometryTypes::triangle;
+  module.attr( "quadrilateral" ) = Dune::GeometryTypes::quadrilateral;
+  module.attr( "tetrahedron" ) = Dune::GeometryTypes::tetrahedron;
+  module.attr( "pyramid" ) = Dune::GeometryTypes::pyramid;
+  module.attr( "prism" ) = Dune::GeometryTypes::prism;
+  module.attr( "hexahedron" ) = Dune::GeometryTypes::hexahedron;
+}