diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 18415aa6..2cabf218 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -177,7 +177,7 @@ nothing()
 
 ##### `put_filemap`
 
-Defines an external map for [lookup](#lookup) from a file. Maps with more than 2 columns are supported but are reduced to a defined key and a value column.
+Defines an external map for [lookup](#lookup) from a file or a URL. Maps with more than 2 columns are supported but are reduced to a defined key and a value column.
 
 ```perl
 put_filemap("<sourceFile>", "<mapName>", sep_char: "\t")
diff --git a/metafix/src/main/java/org/metafacture/metafix/Metafix.java b/metafix/src/main/java/org/metafacture/metafix/Metafix.java
index 1e2280a6..d4e360e7 100644
--- a/metafix/src/main/java/org/metafacture/metafix/Metafix.java
+++ b/metafix/src/main/java/org/metafacture/metafix/Metafix.java
@@ -36,6 +36,8 @@
 import java.io.Reader;
 import java.io.StringReader;
 import java.io.UncheckedIOException;
+import java.net.MalformedURLException;
+import java.net.URL;
 import java.nio.file.Path;
 import java.nio.file.Paths;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
@@ -56,8 +58,7 @@
  * @author Christoph Böhme (Metamorph)
  * @author Fabian Steeg (Metafix)
  */
-public class Metafix implements StreamPipe<StreamReceiver>, Maps {
-
+public class Metafix implements StreamPipe<StreamReceiver>, Maps { // checkstyle-disable-line ClassDataAbstractionCoupling
     public static final String ARRAY_MARKER = "[]";
     public static final String FIX_EXTENSION = ".fix";
     public static final String VAR_END = "]";
@@ -148,26 +149,44 @@ public void literal(final String name, final String value) {
     }
 
     public String resolvePath(final String path) {
-        final Path basePath;
+        final String resolvedPath;
 
-        if (path.startsWith(".")) {
-            if (fixFile != null) {
-                basePath = getPath(fixFile).getParent();
+        if (isValidUrl(path)) {
+            resolvedPath = path;
+            LOG.debug("Resolved path: url = '{}'", resolvedPath);
+        }
+        else {
+            final Path basePath;
+
+            if (path.startsWith(".")) {
+                if (fixFile != null) {
+                    basePath = getPath(fixFile).getParent();
+                }
+                else {
+                    throw new IllegalArgumentException("Cannot resolve relative path: " + path);
+                }
             }
             else {
-                throw new IllegalArgumentException("Cannot resolve relative path: " + path);
+                basePath = getPath("");
             }
-        }
-        else {
-            basePath = getPath("");
-        }
 
-        final String resolvedPath = basePath.resolve(path).normalize().toString();
-        LOG.debug("Resolved path: base = '{}', path = '{}', result = '{}'", basePath, path, resolvedPath);
+            resolvedPath = basePath.resolve(path).normalize().toString();
+            LOG.debug("Resolved path: base = '{}', path = '{}', result = '{}'", basePath, path, resolvedPath);
+        }
 
         return resolvedPath;
     }
 
+    private boolean isValidUrl(final String url) {
+        try {
+            new URL(url);
+            return true;
+        }
+        catch (final MalformedURLException e) {
+            return false;
+        }
+    }
+
     private Path getPath(final String path) {
         return Paths.get(path).toAbsolutePath().normalize();
     }
diff --git a/metafix/src/test/java/org/metafacture/metafix/MetafixLookupTest.java b/metafix/src/test/java/org/metafacture/metafix/MetafixLookupTest.java
index 4457f572..67b9fa54 100644
--- a/metafix/src/test/java/org/metafacture/metafix/MetafixLookupTest.java
+++ b/metafix/src/test/java/org/metafacture/metafix/MetafixLookupTest.java
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.io.InputStreamReader;
 import java.util.Arrays;
+import java.util.Objects;
 import java.util.stream.Collectors;
 
 /**
@@ -46,6 +47,8 @@
 @ExtendWith(MockitoExtension.class)
 public class MetafixLookupTest {
     private static final String CSV_MAP = "src/test/resources/org/metafacture/metafix/maps/test.csv";
+    private static final String CSV_PATH = "/maps/test.csv";
+    private static final String CSV_URL = "%s" + CSV_PATH;
     private static final String RDF_MAP = "src/test/resources/org/metafacture/metafix/maps/test.ttl";
     private static final String HCRT_RDF_MAP = "src/test/resources/org/metafacture/metafix/maps/hcrt.ttl";
     private static final String RDF_PATH = "/maps/rpb.ttl";
@@ -67,20 +70,27 @@ public MetafixLookupTest() {
     private static void setStubForWireMock() {
         WIRE_MOCK_SERVER.start();
 
-        final UrlPattern urlPattern = WireMock.urlPathEqualTo(RDF_PATH);
+        // stubs for RDF
+        final UrlPattern rdfUrlPattern = WireMock.urlPathEqualTo(RDF_PATH);
         final String redirectToUrl = "/redirect" + RDF_PATH;
         final UrlPattern urlPatternRedirectToUrl = WireMock.urlPathEqualTo(redirectToUrl);
-
-        WIRE_MOCK_SERVER.stubFor(WireMock.get(urlPattern)
+        WIRE_MOCK_SERVER.stubFor(WireMock.get(rdfUrlPattern)
             .willReturn(WireMock.temporaryRedirect(redirectToUrl)));
-
-        final String responseBody = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(
-                    MetafixLookupTest.class.getResourceAsStream("." + RDF_PATH))).lines().collect(Collectors.joining("\n"));
-
+        final String rdfResponseBody = loadFile(RDF_PATH);
         WIRE_MOCK_SERVER.stubFor(WireMock.get(urlPatternRedirectToUrl)
             .willReturn(WireMock.aResponse()
                 .withHeader("Content-Type", "text/turtle")
-                .withBody(responseBody)));
+                .withBody(rdfResponseBody)));
+
+        // stub for CSV
+        final UrlPattern csvUrlPattern = WireMock.urlPathEqualTo(CSV_PATH);
+        final String csvResponseBody = loadFile(CSV_PATH);
+        WIRE_MOCK_SERVER.stubFor(WireMock.get(csvUrlPattern).willReturn(WireMock.aResponse().withBody(csvResponseBody)));
+    }
+
+    private static String loadFile(final String path) {
+        return new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(
+            Objects.requireNonNull(MetafixLookupTest.class.getResourceAsStream("." + path)))).lines().collect(Collectors.joining("\n"));
     }
 
     @AfterAll
@@ -419,6 +429,15 @@ public void csv() {
         );
     }
 
+    @Test
+    public void csvViaUrl() {
+        final String baseUrl = WIRE_MOCK_SERVER.baseUrl();
+        final String mockedCsvUrl = String.format(CSV_URL, baseUrl);
+        assertMap(
+            LOOKUP + " '" + mockedCsvUrl + "')"
+        );
+    }
+
     @Test
     public void tsv() {
         assertMap(