diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 2ae4ed78..de469da2 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -4,3 +4,5 @@ CMakeLists.txt.user
 build*
 *.swp
 .settings
+# ignore mac temporal files
+.DS_Store 
diff --git a/src/OpenMesh/Core/Utils/BaseProperty.hh b/src/OpenMesh/Core/Utils/BaseProperty.hh
index 9991b3ba..1e63d6d3 100644
--- a/src/OpenMesh/Core/Utils/BaseProperty.hh
+++ b/src/OpenMesh/Core/Utils/BaseProperty.hh
@@ -80,13 +80,13 @@ public:
   ///
   /// \param _name Optional textual name for the property.
   ///
-  BaseProperty(const std::string& _name = "<unknown>")
-  : name_(_name), persistent_(false)
+  BaseProperty(const std::string& _name = "<unknown>", const std::string& _internal_type_name = "<unknown>" )
+  : name_(_name), internal_type_name_(_internal_type_name), persistent_(false)
   {}
 
   /// \brief Copy constructor
   BaseProperty(const BaseProperty & _rhs)
-      : name_( _rhs.name_ ), persistent_( _rhs.persistent_ ) {}
+      : name_( _rhs.name_ ), internal_type_name_(_rhs.internal_type_name_), persistent_( _rhs.persistent_ ) {}
 
   /// Destructor.
   virtual ~BaseProperty() {}
@@ -119,6 +119,9 @@ public: // named property interface
   /// Return the name of the property
   const std::string& name() const { return name_; }
 
+  /// Return internal type name of the property for type safe casting alternative to runtime information
+  const std::string& internal_type_name() const { return internal_type_name_; }
+
   virtual void stats(std::ostream& _ostr) const;
 
 public: // I/O support
@@ -173,6 +176,7 @@ protected:
 private:
 
   std::string name_;
+  std::string internal_type_name_;
   bool        persistent_;
 };
 
diff --git a/src/OpenMesh/Core/Utils/Property.hh b/src/OpenMesh/Core/Utils/Property.hh
index 629225c6..7f913ec1 100644
--- a/src/OpenMesh/Core/Utils/Property.hh
+++ b/src/OpenMesh/Core/Utils/Property.hh
@@ -99,8 +99,10 @@ public:
 public:
 
   /// Default constructor
-  explicit PropertyT(const std::string& _name = "<unknown>")
-  : BaseProperty(_name)
+  explicit PropertyT(
+            const std::string& _name = "<unknown>",
+            const std::string& _internal_type_name = "<unknown>")
+  : BaseProperty(_name, _internal_type_name)
   {}
 
   /// Copy constructor
@@ -173,17 +175,17 @@ public: // data access interface
 
     return &data_[0];
   }
-
-  /// Get reference to property vector (be careful, improper usage, e.g. resizing, may crash OpenMesh!!!)
-  vector_type& data_vector() {
-    return data_;
-  }
-
-  /// Const access to property vector
-  const vector_type& data_vector() const {
-    return data_;
-  }
-
+
+  /// Get reference to property vector (be careful, improper usage, e.g. resizing, may crash OpenMesh!!!)
+  vector_type& data_vector() {
+    return data_;
+  }
+
+  /// Const access to property vector
+  const vector_type& data_vector() const {
+    return data_;
+  }
+
   /// Access the i'th element. No range check is performed!
   reference operator[](int _idx)
   {
@@ -230,8 +232,8 @@ public:
 
 public:
 
-  explicit PropertyT(const std::string& _name = "<unknown>")
-    : BaseProperty(_name)
+  explicit PropertyT(const std::string& _name = "<unknown>", const std::string& _internal_type_name="" )
+    : BaseProperty(_name, _internal_type_name)
   { }
 
 public: // inherited from BaseProperty
@@ -337,17 +339,17 @@ public:
 
 
 public:
-
-  /// Get reference to property vector (be careful, improper usage, e.g. resizing, may crash OpenMesh!!!)
-  vector_type& data_vector() {
-    return data_;
-  }
-
-  /// Const access to property vector
-  const vector_type& data_vector() const {
-    return data_;
-  }
-
+
+  /// Get reference to property vector (be careful, improper usage, e.g. resizing, may crash OpenMesh!!!)
+  vector_type& data_vector() {
+    return data_;
+  }
+
+  /// Const access to property vector
+  const vector_type& data_vector() const {
+    return data_;
+  }
+
   /// Access the i'th element. No range check is performed!
   reference operator[](int _idx)
   {
@@ -394,8 +396,8 @@ public:
 
 public:
 
-  explicit PropertyT(const std::string& _name = "<unknown>")
-    : BaseProperty(_name)
+  explicit PropertyT(const std::string& _name = "<unknown>", const std::string& _internal_type_name="" )
+    : BaseProperty(_name, _internal_type_name)
   { }
 
 public: // inherited from BaseProperty
diff --git a/src/OpenMesh/Core/Utils/PropertyContainer.hh b/src/OpenMesh/Core/Utils/PropertyContainer.hh
index dcc9a3ac..297d16b9 100644
--- a/src/OpenMesh/Core/Utils/PropertyContainer.hh
+++ b/src/OpenMesh/Core/Utils/PropertyContainer.hh
@@ -44,12 +44,8 @@
 #ifndef OPENMESH_PROPERTYCONTAINER
 #define OPENMESH_PROPERTYCONTAINER
 
-// Use static casts when not debugging
-#ifdef NDEBUG
-#define OM_FORCE_STATIC_CAST
-#endif
-
 #include <OpenMesh/Core/Utils/Property.hh>
+#include <OpenMesh/Core/Utils/typename.hh>
 
 //-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 namespace OpenMesh
@@ -104,7 +100,7 @@ public:
     int idx=0;
     for ( ; p_it!=p_end && *p_it!=nullptr; ++p_it, ++idx ) {};
     if (p_it==p_end) properties_.push_back(nullptr);
-    properties_[idx] = new PropertyT<T>(_name);
+    properties_[idx] = new PropertyT<T>(_name, get_type_name<T>() );        // create a new property with requested name and given (system dependent) internal typename
     return BasePropHandleT<T>(idx);
   }
 
@@ -117,10 +113,7 @@ public:
     {
       if (*p_it != nullptr &&
          (*p_it)->name() == _name  //skip deleted properties
-// Skip type check
-#ifndef OM_FORCE_STATIC_CAST
-          && dynamic_cast<PropertyT<T>*>(properties_[idx]) != nullptr //check type
-#endif
+         && (*p_it)->internal_type_name() == get_type_name<T>()     // new check type
          )
       {
         return BasePropHandleT<T>(idx);
@@ -146,13 +139,10 @@ public:
   {
     assert(_h.idx() >= 0 && _h.idx() < (int)properties_.size());
     assert(properties_[_h.idx()] != nullptr);
-#ifdef OM_FORCE_STATIC_CAST
-    return *static_cast  <PropertyT<T>*> (properties_[_h.idx()]);
-#else
-    PropertyT<T>* p = dynamic_cast<PropertyT<T>*>(properties_[_h.idx()]);
+    assert( properties_[_h.idx()]->internal_type_name() == get_type_name<T>() );
+    PropertyT<T> *p = static_cast< PropertyT<T>* > (properties_[_h.idx()]);
     assert(p != nullptr);
     return *p;
-#endif
   }
 
 
@@ -160,13 +150,10 @@ public:
   {
     assert(_h.idx() >= 0 && _h.idx() < (int)properties_.size());
     assert(properties_[_h.idx()] != nullptr);
-#ifdef OM_FORCE_STATIC_CAST
-    return *static_cast<PropertyT<T>*>(properties_[_h.idx()]);
-#else
-    PropertyT<T>* p = dynamic_cast<PropertyT<T>*>(properties_[_h.idx()]);
+    assert( properties_[_h.idx()]->internal_type_name() == get_type_name<T>() );
+    PropertyT<T> *p = static_cast< PropertyT<T>* > (properties_[_h.idx()]);
     assert(p != nullptr);
     return *p;
-#endif
   }
 
 
diff --git a/src/OpenMesh/Core/Utils/typename.hh b/src/OpenMesh/Core/Utils/typename.hh
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..f67ae18b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/OpenMesh/Core/Utils/typename.hh
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+#pragma once
+
+/// Get an internal name for a type
+/// Important, this is depends on compilers and versions, do NOT use in file formats!
+/// This provides property type safety when only limited RTTI is available
+/// Solution adapted from OpenVolumeMesh
+
+#include <string>
+#include <typeinfo>
+
+namespace OpenMesh {
+
+template <typename T>
+std::string get_type_name()
+{
+#ifdef _MSC_VER
+    // MSVC'S type_name returns only a friendly name with name() method,
+    // to get a unique name use raw_name() method instead
+    return typeid(T).raw_name();
+#else
+    // GCC and clang curently return mangled name as name(), there is no raw_name() method
+    return typeid(T).name();
+#endif
+}
+
+}