diff --git a/src/OpenVolumeMesh/FileManager/FileManager.hh b/src/OpenVolumeMesh/FileManager/FileManager.hh
index 3519626b8377847b88f6ba2017083b9553e6630e..8f712d9cb875b6c2eada9ce020f22e8268406d2c 100644
--- a/src/OpenVolumeMesh/FileManager/FileManager.hh
+++ b/src/OpenVolumeMesh/FileManager/FileManager.hh
@@ -43,14 +43,58 @@
 #ifndef FILEMANAGER_HH_
 #define FILEMANAGER_HH_
 
+#include <string>
+
 namespace OpenVolumeMesh {
 
 namespace IO {
 
+/**
+ * \class FileManager
+ * \brief Read/Write mesh data from/to files
+ */
+
+template <class MeshT>
+class FileManager {
+public:
+
+  /// Default constructor
+  FileManager();
 
+  /// Default destructor
+  ~FileManager();
+
+  /**
+   * \brief Read a mesh from a file
+   *
+   *  Returns true if the file was successfully read. The mesh
+   *  is stored in parameter _mesh. If something goes wrong,
+   *  this function returns false.
+   *
+   * @param _filename The file that is to be read
+   * @param _mesh     A reference to an OpenVolumeMesh instance
+   */
+  bool readFile(const std::string& _filename, MeshT& _mesh) const;
+
+  /**
+   * \brief Write a mesh to a file
+   *
+   *  Returns true if the file was successfully written. The mesh
+   *  is passed as parameter _mesh. If something goes wrong,
+   *  this function returns false.
+   *
+   * @param _filename The file that is to be stored
+   * @param _mesh     A const reference to an OpenVolumeMesh instance
+   */
+  bool writeFile(const std::string& _filename, const MeshT& _mesh) const;
+};
 
 } // Namespace IO
 
 } // Namespace FileManager
 
+#if defined(INCLUDE_TEMPLATES) && !defined(FILEMANAGERT_CC)
+#include "FileManagerT.cc"
+#endif
+
 #endif /* FILEMANAGER_HH_ */
diff --git a/src/OpenVolumeMesh/FileManager/FileManager.cc b/src/OpenVolumeMesh/FileManager/FileManagerT.cc
similarity index 86%
rename from src/OpenVolumeMesh/FileManager/FileManager.cc
rename to src/OpenVolumeMesh/FileManager/FileManagerT.cc
index a3acfa6258d6377b2273320b7df1c00722920b4c..ab6175e8a116c0f3c678e3e998981f2e7545a72f 100644
--- a/src/OpenVolumeMesh/FileManager/FileManager.cc
+++ b/src/OpenVolumeMesh/FileManager/FileManagerT.cc
@@ -40,13 +40,39 @@
  *                                                                           *
 \*===========================================================================*/
 
+#define FILEMANAGERT_CC
+
 #include "FileManager.hh"
 
 namespace OpenVolumeMesh {
 
 namespace IO {
 
+//==================================================
+
+FileManager::FileManager() {
+
+}
+
+//==================================================
+
+FileManager::~FileManager() {
+
+}
+
+//==================================================
+
+template <class MeshT>
+bool FileManager::readFile(const std::string& _filename, MeshT& _mesh) {
+
+}
+
+//==================================================
+
+template <class MeshT>
+bool FileManager::writeFile(const std::string& _filename, const MeshT& _mesh) {
 
+}
 
 } // Namespace IO