diff --git a/test/Makefile.am b/test/Makefile.am
index bfbe41e2b0e46e59140480b8e1ff1d6147939bce..9cd1709286580cdc76f30b717a33f2bd6b42c8fc 100644
--- a/test/Makefile.am
+++ b/test/Makefile.am
@@ -4,7 +4,8 @@
 LDADD = $(UG_LDFLAGS) $(AMIRAMESH_LDFLAGS) $(UG_LIBS) $(AMIRAMESH_LIBS)
 AM_CPPFLAGS += $(UG_CPPFLAGS) $(AMIRAMESH_CPPFLAGS) -Wall
 
-check_PROGRAMS = frameinvariancetest rotationtest fdcheck localgeodesicfefunctiontest
+check_PROGRAMS = frameinvariancetest rotationtest fdcheck localgeodesicfefunctiontest \
+                 harmonicenergytest
 
 frameinvariancetest_SOURCES = frameinvariancetest.cc
 
@@ -14,6 +15,8 @@ fdcheck_SOURCES = fdcheck.cc
 
 localgeodesicfefunctiontest_SOURCES = localgeodesicfefunctiontest.cc
 
+harmonicenergytest_SOURCES = harmonicenergytest.cc
+
 # don't follow the full GNU-standard
 # we need automake 1.5
 AUTOMAKE_OPTIONS = foreign 1.5
diff --git a/test/harmonicenergytest.cc b/test/harmonicenergytest.cc
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..402b86e6a55a71ed09a28e5c0edcab7d6c10505b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/harmonicenergytest.cc
@@ -0,0 +1,88 @@
+
+#include <dune/grid/uggrid.hh>
+
+#include <dune/src/unitvector.hh>
+#include <dune/src/harmonicenergystiffness.hh>
+
+const int dim = 2;
+
+typedef UnitVector<3> TargetSpace;
+
+using namespace Dune;
+
+template <class GridType>
+void testEnergy(const GridType* grid, const std::vector<TargetSpace>& coefficients) {
+
+    HarmonicEnergyLocalStiffness<typename GridType::LeafGridView,TargetSpace> assembler;
+    std::vector<TargetSpace> rotatedCoefficients(coefficients.size());
+
+    for (int i=0; i<10; i++) {
+
+        Rotation<3,double> rotation(FieldVector<double,3>(1), double(i));
+
+        FieldMatrix<double,3,3> matrix;
+        rotation.matrix(matrix);
+        for (size_t j=0; j<coefficients.size(); j++) {
+            FieldVector<double,3> tmp;
+            matrix.mv(coefficients[j].globalCoordinates(), tmp);
+            rotatedCoefficients[j] = tmp;
+        }
+
+        std::cout << "energy: " << assembler.energy(*grid->template leafbegin<0>(), 
+                                                    rotatedCoefficients) << std::endl;
+
+        std::vector<Dune::FieldVector<double,3> > rotatedGradient;
+        assembler.assembleGradient(*grid->template leafbegin<0>(),
+                                   rotatedCoefficients,
+                                   rotatedGradient);
+
+        for (size_t j=0; j<coefficients.size(); j++) {
+            FieldVector<double,3> tmp;
+            matrix.mtv(rotatedGradient[j], tmp);
+            std::cout << "gradient: " << tmp << std::endl;
+        }
+
+    }
+
+};
+
+int main(int argc, char** argv)
+{
+    // ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+    //   Make a test grid consisting of a single simplex
+    // ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+
+    typedef UGGrid<dim> GridType;
+
+    GridFactory<GridType> factory;
+
+    FieldVector<double,dim> pos(0);
+    factory.insertVertex(pos);
+    pos[0] = 1;  pos[1] = 0;
+    factory.insertVertex(pos);
+    pos[0] = 0;  pos[1] = 1;
+    factory.insertVertex(pos);
+
+    std::vector<unsigned int> v(dim+1);
+    v[0] = 0;  v[1] = 1;  v[2] = 2;
+    factory.insertElement(GeometryType(GeometryType::simplex,dim), v);
+
+    const GridType* grid = factory.createGrid();
+    
+
+    // //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+    //  Test whether the energy is invariant under isometries
+    // //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+
+    FieldVector<double,3> uv;
+    std::vector<TargetSpace> coefficients(dim+1);
+
+    uv[0] = 1;  uv[1] = 0;  uv[2] = 0;
+    coefficients[0] = uv;
+    uv[0] = 0;  uv[1] = 1;  uv[2] = 0;
+    coefficients[1] = uv;
+    uv[0] = 0;  uv[1] = 0;  uv[2] = 1;
+    coefficients[2] = uv;
+    
+    testEnergy<GridType>(grid, coefficients);
+}