diff --git a/src/SConscript b/src/SConscript
index 4b40db5b5..f87c70727 100644
--- a/src/SConscript
+++ b/src/SConscript
@@ -47,4 +47,4 @@ gui       = ( guimodule
             )
 
 
-Export('lumiera core core_lib app_lib backend_lib support_lib plugins gui')
+Export('lumiera core core_lib app_lib backend_lib support_lib plugins guimodule gui')
diff --git a/src/gui/model/session-facade.cpp b/src/gui/model/session-facade.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..87b799301
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/gui/model/session-facade.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,94 @@
+/*
+  SessionFacade  -  service for
+
+  Copyright (C)         Lumiera.org
+    2014,               Hermann Vosseler <Ichthyostega@web.de>
+
+  This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
+  modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as
+  published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of
+  the License, or (at your option) any later version.
+
+  This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+  but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+  MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+  GNU General Public License for more details.
+
+  You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+  along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software
+  Foundation, Inc., 675 Mass Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
+
+* *****************************************************/
+
+
+/** @file session-facade.cpp
+ ** Service for session-facade.
+ ** This header defines the basics of...
+ ** 
+ ** @note as of X/2014 this is complete bs
+ ** @todo WIP  ///////////////////////TICKET #
+ ** 
+ ** @see ////TODO_test usage example
+ ** @see session-facade.cpp implementation
+ ** 
+ */
+
+
+//#include "lib/util.hpp"
+//#include "lib/symbol.hpp"
+//#include "include/logging.h"
+#include "gui/model/session-facade.hpp"
+#include "lib/depend.hpp"
+
+//#include <boost/noncopyable.hpp>
+//#include <string>
+//#include <map>
+
+//using std::map;
+//using std::string;
+
+//using util::contains;
+//using util::isnil;
+
+
+namespace gui {
+namespace model {
+  
+  namespace { // internal details
+    lib::Depend<SessionFacade> guiSessionFacade;
+    
+  } // internal details
+  
+  
+  
+  SessionFacade::SessionFacade()
+    : nothing_("boo")
+    { }
+  
+  
+  SessionFacade::~SessionFacade() { }
+  
+  
+  
+  
+  /**
+   * 
+   * @param id
+   * @return
+   */
+  string
+  SessionFacade::beCreative ()
+  {
+    return guiSessionFacade().maybe();
+  }
+  
+  
+  string
+  SessionFacade::maybe()  const
+  {
+    return nothing_;
+  }
+  
+  
+  
+}} // namespace gui::model
diff --git a/src/gui/model/session-facade.hpp b/src/gui/model/session-facade.hpp
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3185a44ea
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/gui/model/session-facade.hpp
@@ -0,0 +1,86 @@
+/*
+  SESSION-FACADE.hpp  -  service for
+
+  Copyright (C)         Lumiera.org
+    2014,               Hermann Vosseler <Ichthyostega@web.de>
+
+  This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
+  modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as
+  published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of
+  the License, or (at your option) any later version.
+
+  This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+  but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+  MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+  GNU General Public License for more details.
+
+  You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+  along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software
+  Foundation, Inc., 675 Mass Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
+
+*/
+
+
+/** @file session-facade.hpp
+ ** Service for session-facade.
+ ** This header defines the basics of...
+ ** 
+ ** @note as of X/2014 this is complete bs
+ ** @todo WIP  ///////////////////////TICKET #
+ ** 
+ ** @see ////TODO_test usage example
+ ** @see session-facade.cpp implementation
+ ** 
+ */
+
+
+#ifndef SESSION_FACADE_H_
+#define SESSION_FACADE_H_
+
+
+#include "lib/error.hpp"
+//#include "lib/symbol.hpp"
+//#include "lib/util.hpp"
+
+#include <boost/noncopyable.hpp>
+#include <string>
+
+
+namespace gui {
+namespace model {
+  
+//  using lib::HashVal;
+//  using util::isnil;
+  using std::string;
+  
+  
+  /**
+   * Basic (abstracted) view of...
+   * 
+   * @see SomeSystem
+   * @see NA_test
+   */
+  class SessionFacade
+    : boost::noncopyable
+    {
+      string nothing_;
+      
+    public:
+      SessionFacade();
+     ~SessionFacade();
+      
+      
+      static string beCreative ();
+      
+      /* == Adapter interface for == */
+      
+      
+      
+    protected:
+      string maybe ()  const;
+    };
+  
+  
+  
+}} // namespace gui::model
+#endif /*SESSION_FACADE_H_*/
diff --git a/tests/51-gui-model.tests b/tests/51-gui-model.tests
index a3dad6247..212a0ca6a 100644
--- a/tests/51-gui-model.tests
+++ b/tests/51-gui-model.tests
@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 TESTING "Component Test Suite: GUI Model Parts" ./test-suite --group=gui
 
-PLANNED "ModelClipTrack_test" ModelClipTrack_test <<END
+
+
+TEST "Self-check: testing GUI backbone parts" TestGui_test <<END
+return: 0
 END
 
 PLANNED "ModelClip_test" ModelClip_test <<END
diff --git a/tests/SConscript b/tests/SConscript
index ce29e7184..ae83ca623 100644
--- a/tests/SConscript
+++ b/tests/SConscript
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ from Buildhelper import scanSubtree
 from Buildhelper import globRootdirs
 from Buildhelper import createPlugins
 
-Import('env core_lib app_lib backend_lib gui tools config')
+Import('env core_lib app_lib backend_lib guimodule tools config')
 env = env.Clone()
 env.Append(CPPPATH='include')  # additional headers for tests
 
@@ -26,6 +26,8 @@ def linkContext(id):
         return app_lib              # tests in 'lib*' subdirs only linked against application framework
     elif id.startswith('back'):
         return backend_lib          # tests in 'back*' subdirs only linked against backend layer
+    elif id.startswith('gui'):
+        return guimodule+core_lib   # tests in 'gui*' are additionally linked against the GTK GUI module
     else:
         return core_lib             # all other tests linked against complete application core
 
diff --git a/tests/gui/README b/tests/gui/README
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..680c92b82
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/gui/README
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+GUI backbone tests
+
+The tests in this subtree are a bit special: they cover the generic and
+backbone internals of the Lumiera GTK GUI. They are linked against the
+complete GUI-module (gui plugin), and thus may use all related ABIs.
+
+Yet these tests are *deliberately* compiled without any GTK, GTKmm or SigC
+includes. This effectively rules out the use, even indirectly, of any GTK
+widgets and APIs -- forcing the covered GUI backbone entities to stay
+clean and generic at API level.
+
+This is a decision done on purpose. The concrete GUI framework technology
+shall be treated as an implementation detail. There is no point in writing
+tests which click buttons in the GUI -- better delegate any significant
+logic or functionality to GUI agnostic components. GUI is meant to be
+a presentation layer and must not develop intelligence on its own.
+
diff --git a/tests/gui/test-gui-test.cpp b/tests/gui/test-gui-test.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7a932e8eb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/gui/test-gui-test.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+/*
+  TestGui(Test)  -  how to use this test framework...
+
+  Copyright (C)         Lumiera.org
+    2008,               Hermann Vosseler <Ichthyostega@web.de>
+
+  This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
+  modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as
+  published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of
+  the License, or (at your option) any later version.
+
+  This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+  but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+  MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+  GNU General Public License for more details.
+
+  You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+  along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software
+  Foundation, Inc., 675 Mass Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
+
+* *****************************************************/
+
+
+#include "lib/test/run.hpp"
+#include "lib/util.hpp"
+#include "gui/model/session-facade.hpp"
+
+#include <iostream>
+
+using std::cout;
+
+
+namespace gui {
+namespace test{
+  
+  /**************************************//**
+   * Hellooooooo the world is just a test
+   * @test demo of using the test framework
+   */
+  class TestGui_test : public Test
+    {
+      virtual void
+      run (Arg)
+        {
+          cout << model::SessionFacade::beCreative() << "\n";
+        } 
+    };
+  
+  
+  
+  
+  
+  /** Register this test class to be invoked in some test groups (suites) 
+   * @remarks this macro \c LUNCHER is defined in run.hpp to simplify
+   *          the registration of test classes. It expands to the
+   *          following static variable definition
+   *          \code
+   *          Launch<HelloWorld_test> run_HelloWorld_test("HelloWorld_test","unit common");
+   *          \endcode
+   */
+  LAUNCHER (TestGui_test, "unit gui");
+  
+  
+  
+}} // namespace gui::test