diff --git a/src/Gui/Application.h b/src/Gui/Application.h
index 73945fca40..8d4aefe5a1 100644
--- a/src/Gui/Application.h
+++ b/src/Gui/Application.h
@@ -211,6 +211,7 @@ public:
 
     PYFUNCDEF_S(sSendActiveView);
 
+    PYFUNCDEF_S(sGetMainWindow);
     PYFUNCDEF_S(sUpdateGui);
     PYFUNCDEF_S(sUpdateLocale);
     PYFUNCDEF_S(sGetLocale);
diff --git a/src/Gui/ApplicationPy.cpp b/src/Gui/ApplicationPy.cpp
index 31df222718..fb3de12114 100644
--- a/src/Gui/ApplicationPy.cpp
+++ b/src/Gui/ApplicationPy.cpp
@@ -83,6 +83,9 @@ PyMethodDef Application::Methods[] = {
   {"addIcon",                 (PyCFunction) Application::sAddIcon,          1,
    "addIcon(string, string or list) -> None\n\n"
    "Add an icon as file name or in XPM format to the system"},
+  {"getMainWindow",           (PyCFunction) Application::sGetMainWindow,    1,
+   "getMainWindow() -> QMainWindow\n\n"
+   "Return the main window instance"},
   {"updateGui",               (PyCFunction) Application::sUpdateGui,        1,
    "updateGui() -> None\n\n"
    "Update the main window and all its windows"},
@@ -418,6 +421,22 @@ PyObject* Application::sSendActiveView(PyObject * /*self*/, PyObject *args,PyObj
     return Py_None;
 } 
 
+PyObject* Application::sGetMainWindow(PyObject * /*self*/, PyObject *args,PyObject * /*kwd*/)
+{
+    if (!PyArg_ParseTuple(args, ""))
+        return NULL;
+
+    PythonWrapper wrap;
+    wrap.loadCoreModule();
+    wrap.loadGuiModule();
+    try {
+        return Py::new_reference_to(wrap.fromQWidget(Gui::getMainWindow(), "QMainWindow"));
+    }
+    catch (const Py::Exception&) {
+        return 0;
+    }
+}
+
 PyObject* Application::sUpdateGui(PyObject * /*self*/, PyObject *args,PyObject * /*kwd*/)
 {
     if (!PyArg_ParseTuple(args, ""))     // convert args: Python->C 
diff --git a/src/Gui/WidgetFactory.cpp b/src/Gui/WidgetFactory.cpp
index 12f5b9a5eb..caf4b9be27 100644
--- a/src/Gui/WidgetFactory.cpp
+++ b/src/Gui/WidgetFactory.cpp
@@ -84,15 +84,19 @@ QObject* PythonWrapper::toQObject(const Py::Object& pyobject)
     return 0;
 }
 
-Py::Object PythonWrapper::toPython(QWidget* widget)
+Py::Object PythonWrapper::fromQWidget(QWidget* widget, const char* className)
 {
 #if defined (HAVE_SHIBOKEN) && defined(HAVE_PYSIDE)
     PyTypeObject * type = Shiboken::SbkType<QWidget>();
     if (type) {
         SbkObjectType* sbk_type = reinterpret_cast<SbkObjectType*>(type);
-        std::string typeName = widget->metaObject()->className();
+        std::string typeName;
+        if (className)
+            typeName = className;
+        else
+            typeName = widget->metaObject()->className();
         PyObject* pyobj = Shiboken::Object::newObject(sbk_type, widget, false, false, typeName.c_str());
-        return Py::Object(pyobj);
+        return Py::asObject(pyobj);
     }
     throw Py::RuntimeError("Failed to wrap widget");
 #else
@@ -353,7 +357,7 @@ Py::Object UiLoaderPy::createWidget(const Py::Tuple& args)
     QWidget* widget = loader.createWidget(QString::fromAscii(className.c_str()), parent,
         QString::fromAscii(objectName.c_str()));
     wrap.loadGuiModule();
-    return wrap.toPython(widget);
+    return wrap.fromQWidget(widget);
 }
 
 // ----------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/src/Gui/WidgetFactory.h b/src/Gui/WidgetFactory.h
index 7f5faa0cf6..44690d5870 100644
--- a/src/Gui/WidgetFactory.h
+++ b/src/Gui/WidgetFactory.h
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ public:
     bool loadGuiModule();
 
     QObject* toQObject(const Py::Object&);
-    Py::Object toPython(QWidget*);
+    Py::Object fromQWidget(QWidget*, const char* className=0);
 };
 
 /**