diff --git a/docs/source/conf.py b/docs/source/conf.py
index 1c39e0b313..dbf738ee8a 100644
--- a/docs/source/conf.py
+++ b/docs/source/conf.py
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ def __getattr__(cls, name):
 # The default replacements for |version| and |release|, also used in various
 # other places throughout the built documents.
 #
-version = str(pymor.VERSION)
+version = pymor.__version__
 
 # The full version, including alpha/beta/rc tags.
 release = version.split('-')[0]
diff --git a/src/pymor/__init__.py b/src/pymor/__init__.py
index cbe9d2a30a..4cd4640eed 100644
--- a/src/pymor/__init__.py
+++ b/src/pymor/__init__.py
@@ -15,62 +15,6 @@
 from pymor.core.defaults import load_defaults_from_file
 
 
-class Version(object):
-    def __init__(self, revstring):
-
-        # special casing for debian versions like '0.1.3~precise~ppa9'
-        if '~' in revstring:
-            revstring = revstring[:revstring.index('~')]
-        revstringparts = revstring.strip().split('-')
-        if len(revstringparts) not in (1, 3):
-            raise ValueError('Invalid revstring: ' + revstring)
-        if len(revstringparts) == 3:
-            self.distance = int(revstringparts[1])
-            self.shorthash = revstringparts[2]
-        else:
-            self.distance = 0
-            self.shorthash = ''
-
-        version_parts = revstringparts[0].split('.')
-        if version_parts[-1].find('rc') >= 0:
-            s = version_parts[-1].split('rc')
-            if len(s) != 2:
-                raise ValueError('Invalid revstring')
-            version_parts[-1] = s[0]
-            self.rc_number = int(s[1])
-            self.has_rc_number = True
-        else:
-            self.rc_number = 0
-            self.has_rc_number = False
-
-        self.version = tuple(int(x) for x in version_parts)
-        self.full_version = self.version + (self.rc_number,)
-
-    def __eq__(self, other):
-        if not isinstance(other, Version):
-            other = Version(other)
-        return self.version == other.version and self.rc_number == other.rc_number and self.distance == other.distance
-
-    def __lt__(self, other):
-        if not isinstance(other, Version):
-            other = Version(other)
-        return self.full_version < other.full_version
-
-    def __gt__(self, other):
-        if not isinstance(other, Version):
-            other = Version(other)
-        return self.full_version > other.full_version
-
-    def __str__(self):
-        git_part = '-{}-{}'.format(self.distance, self.shorthash) if self.distance else ''
-        version_part = '.'.join(map(str, self.version))
-        rc_part = 'rc{}'.format(self.rc_number) if self.has_rc_number else ''
-        return version_part + rc_part + git_part
-
-    def __repr__(self):
-        return 'Version({})'.format(str(self))
-
-
 if 'PYMOR_DEB_VERSION' in os.environ:
     revstring = os.environ['PYMOR_DEB_VERSION']
 else:
@@ -79,7 +23,6 @@ def __repr__(self):
 
 __version__ = str(revstring)
 
-
 import os
 if 'PYMOR_DEFAULTS' in os.environ:
     filename = os.environ['PYMOR_DEFAULTS']
diff --git a/src/pymor/core/config.py b/src/pymor/core/config.py
index 1ca9ff0072..a25b3c5f16 100644
--- a/src/pymor/core/config.py
+++ b/src/pymor/core/config.py
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ def __repr__(self):
 Defaults
 --------
 See pymor.core.defaults.print_defaults.
-'''[1:].format(self.version, self.PYTHON_VESRION, '-' * max(map(len, package_info)),
+'''[1:].format(self.version, self.PYTHON_VERSION, '-' * max(map(len, package_info)),
                '\n'.join(package_info))
         return info
 
diff --git a/src/pymor/version.py b/src/pymor/version.py
index 0fbb04347f..129bc726b5 100644
--- a/src/pymor/version.py
+++ b/src/pymor/version.py
@@ -474,7 +474,7 @@ def render(pieces, style):
             "date": pieces.get("date")}
 
 
-def get_versions(version_default='0.0.0-0-0'):
+def get_versions():
     """Get version information or return default if unable to do so."""
     # I am in _version.py, which lives at ROOT/VERSIONFILE_SOURCE. If we have
     # __file__, we can work backwards from there to the root. Some
@@ -483,6 +483,7 @@ def get_versions(version_default='0.0.0-0-0'):
 
     cfg = get_config()
     verbose = cfg.verbose
+    version_default = '0.unknown'
 
     try:
         return git_versions_from_keywords(get_keywords(), cfg.tag_prefix,
diff --git a/src/pymortests/core/interface.py b/src/pymortests/core/interface.py
index 1e645796d6..6b3cfee295 100644
--- a/src/pymortests/core/interface.py
+++ b/src/pymortests/core/interface.py
@@ -55,8 +55,8 @@ def abstract_static_method():
         assert inst.abstract_static_method() == 0
 
     def testVersion(self):
-        assert pymor.VERSION > pymor.NO_VERSION
-        assert isinstance(pymor.VERSION, pymor.Version)
+        assert 'unknown' not in pymor.__version__
+        assert '?' not in pymor.__version__
 
 
 @SubclassForImplemetorsOf(ImmutableInterface)