diff --git a/include/boost/filesystem/config.hpp b/include/boost/filesystem/config.hpp
index f0f238b..b1f6502 100644
--- a/include/boost/filesystem/config.hpp
+++ b/include/boost/filesystem/config.hpp
@@ -38,12 +38,22 @@
 #include <boost/system/api_config.hpp>  // for BOOST_POSIX_API or BOOST_WINDOWS_API
 #include <boost/detail/workaround.hpp> 
 
-//  BOOST_FILESYSTEM_DEPRECATED needed for source compiles -----------------------------//
+//  BOOST_FILESYSTEM_DEPRECATED needed for source compiles
 
 # ifdef BOOST_FILESYSTEM_SOURCE
 #   define BOOST_FILESYSTEM_DEPRECATED
 # endif
 
+//  Support for C++11 char16_t and char32_t paths requires both character type (or
+//  equivalent typedef) support and header <codecvt> support. 
+
+# if BOOST_FILESYSTEM_VERSION > 3 \
+     && !defined(BOOST_NO_CXX11_HDR_CODECVT) \
+     && ((!defined(BOOST_NO_CXX11_CHAR16_T) && (!defined(BOOST_NO_CXX11_CHAR32_T)) \
+          || (defined(_MSC_VER) && _MSC_VER >= 1600)))
+#   define BOOST_FILESYSTEM_CHAR16_CHAR32
+#endif
+
 //  throw an exception  ----------------------------------------------------------------//
 //
 //  Exceptions were originally thrown via boost::throw_exception().
diff --git a/include/boost/filesystem/config_info.hpp b/include/boost/filesystem/config_info.hpp
index a4fc8d9..880b2ea 100644
--- a/include/boost/filesystem/config_info.hpp
+++ b/include/boost/filesystem/config_info.hpp
@@ -75,6 +75,7 @@ namespace boost
         << BOOST_FILESYSTEM_SHOW_MACRO(BOOST_FILESYSTEM_NO_DEPRECATED) << '\n'
         << BOOST_FILESYSTEM_SHOW_MACRO(BOOST_FILESYSTEM_DECL) << '\n'
         << BOOST_FILESYSTEM_SHOW_MACRO(BOOST_SYMBOL_VISIBLE) << '\n'
+        << BOOST_FILESYSTEM_SHOW_MACRO(BOOST_FILESYSTEM_CHAR16_CHAR32) << '\n'
         << BOOST_FILESYSTEM_SHOW_MACRO(BOOST_FILESYSTEM_OPERATIONS_TEST_TEMP) << '\n'
         ;
       return os;
diff --git a/include/boost/filesystem/path_traits.hpp b/include/boost/filesystem/path_traits.hpp
index d868311..24fe25f 100644
--- a/include/boost/filesystem/path_traits.hpp
+++ b/include/boost/filesystem/path_traits.hpp
@@ -124,6 +124,40 @@ namespace boost { namespace BOOST_FILESYSTEM_NAMESPACE {
       convert(from, 0, to, cvt);
     }
 
+# ifdef BOOST_FILESYSTEM_CHAR16_CHAR32
+
+    BOOST_FILESYSTEM_DECL
+      void convert(const char32_t* from,
+      const char32_t* from_end,    // 0 for null terminated MBCS
+      std::wstring & to,
+      const codecvt_type&);
+
+    //BOOST_FILESYSTEM_DECL
+    //  void convert(const char32_t* from,
+    //  const char32_t* from_end,  // 0 for null terminated MBCS
+    //  std::string & to,
+    //  const codecvt_type& cvt);
+
+    //inline
+    //  void convert(const char32_t* from,
+    //  std::wstring & to,
+    //  const codecvt_type& cvt)
+    //{
+    //  BOOST_ASSERT(from);
+    //  convert(from, 0, to, cvt);
+    //}
+
+    //inline
+    //  void convert(const wchar_t* from,
+    //  std::string & to,
+    //  const codecvt_type& cvt)
+    //{
+    //  BOOST_ASSERT(from);
+    //  convert(from, 0, to, cvt);
+    //}
+
+# endif
+
     // value types same  -----------------------------------------------------------------//
 
     // char
diff --git a/src/path_traits.cpp b/src/path_traits.cpp
index a907cda..eb5b1cc 100644
--- a/src/path_traits.cpp
+++ b/src/path_traits.cpp
@@ -25,6 +25,10 @@
 #include <cstring>  // for strlen
 #include <cwchar>   // for wcslen
 
+#ifdef BOOST_FILESYSTEM_CHAR16_CHAR32
+# include <codecvt>
+#endif
+
 namespace pt = boost::filesystem::path_traits;
 namespace fs = boost::filesystem;
 namespace bs = boost::system;
@@ -93,6 +97,46 @@ namespace {
     target.append(to, to_next); 
   }
 
+#ifdef BOOST_FILESYSTEM_CHAR16_CHAR32
+
+  //--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------//
+  //                    convert_aux const char32_t* to wstring                            //
+  //--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------//
+
+  static void convert_aux(
+    const char32_t* from,
+    const char32_t* from_end,
+    wchar_t* to, wchar_t* to_end,
+    std::wstring& target)
+  {
+    //std::cout << std::hex
+    //          << " from=" << std::size_t(from)
+    //          << " from_end=" << std::size_t(from_end)
+    //          << " to=" << std::size_t(to)
+    //          << " to_end=" << std::size_t(to_end)
+    //          << std::endl;
+
+    typedef std::codecvt_utf16<char32_t> codecvt_type;
+    static codecvt_type cvt;
+
+    std::mbstate_t state = std::mbstate_t();  // perhaps unneeded, but cuts bug reports
+    const char32_t* from_next;
+    wchar_t* to_next;
+
+    std::codecvt_base::result res;
+
+    if ((res = cvt.in(state, from, from_end, from_next,
+      to, to_end, to_next)) != std::codecvt_base::ok)
+    {
+      //std::cout << " result is " << static_cast<int>(res) << std::endl;
+      BOOST_FILESYSTEM_THROW(bs::system_error(res, fs::codecvt_error_category(),
+        "boost::filesystem::path codecvt to wstring"));
+    }
+    target.append(to, to_next);
+  }
+
+#endif
+
 //--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------//
 //                      convert_aux const wchar_t* to string                           //
 //--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------//
@@ -207,4 +251,47 @@ namespace boost { namespace BOOST_FILESYSTEM_NAMESPACE { namespace path_traits {
       convert_aux(from, from_end, buf, buf+default_codecvt_buf_size, to, cvt);
     }
   }
+
+#ifdef BOOST_FILESYSTEM_CHAR16_CHAR32
+
+# ifdef BOOST_WINDOWS_API
+
+  //--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------//
+  //                         convert const char32_t* to wstring                           //
+  //--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------//
+
+  BOOST_FILESYSTEM_DECL
+    void convert(const char32_t* from,
+    const char32_t* from_end,    // 0 for null terminated MBCS
+    std::wstring& to,
+    const codecvt_type&)
+  {
+    BOOST_ASSERT(from);
+
+    if (!from_end)  // null terminated
+    {
+      for (from_end = from; *from_end; ++from_end);  // find end
+    }
+
+    if (from == from_end)
+      return;
+
+    std::size_t buf_size = (from_end - from) * 2*4;  // perhaps too large, but that's OK
+
+    //  dynamically allocate a buffer only if source is unusually large
+    if (buf_size > default_codecvt_buf_size)
+    {
+      boost::scoped_array< wchar_t > buf(new wchar_t[buf_size]);
+      convert_aux(from, from_end, buf.get(), buf.get()+buf_size, to);
+    }
+    else
+    {
+      wchar_t buf[default_codecvt_buf_size];
+      convert_aux(from, from_end, buf, buf+default_codecvt_buf_size, to);
+    }
+  }
+# endif
+
+#endif
+
 }}} // namespace boost::filesystem::path_traits
diff --git a/test/issues/hello_filesystem.cpp b/test/issues/hello_filesystem.cpp
index 8aa1a6c..e6b73f8 100644
--- a/test/issues/hello_filesystem.cpp
+++ b/test/issues/hello_filesystem.cpp
@@ -22,14 +22,39 @@
 #include <boost/detail/lightweight_test.hpp>
 #include <boost/detail/lightweight_main.hpp>
 
+#include <boost/utility/string_ref.hpp>
+
 using std::cout;
 using std::endl;
 namespace fs = boost::filesystem;
+using boost::basic_string_ref;
+using boost::string_ref;
+using boost::wstring_ref;
+
+void f1(const string_ref&)
+{
+  cout << "narrow" << endl;
+}
+void f1(const wstring_ref&)
+{
+  cout << "wide" << endl;
+}
+
+template <class T>
+void foo(const T& from)
+{
+  f1(basic_string_ref<typename T::value_type>(from));
+}
 
 //------------------------------------  cpp_main  --------------------------------------//
 
 int cpp_main(int argc, char* argv[])
 {
+  foo(std::string("string"));
+  //foo<char>(std::string("string"));
+  //foo<char, std::char_traits<char>>("string");
+
+
   cout << "Hello, filesystem world" << endl;
   cout << fs::config() << endl;
 
diff --git a/test/msvc/header_inclusion/header_inclusion.vcxproj b/test/msvc/header_inclusion/header_inclusion.vcxproj
index 90d04f4..9a87664 100644
--- a/test/msvc/header_inclusion/header_inclusion.vcxproj
+++ b/test/msvc/header_inclusion/header_inclusion.vcxproj
@@ -65,12 +65,12 @@
   </ItemDefinitionGroup>
   <ItemGroup>
     <ClInclude Include="..\..\..\include\boost\filesystem\config.hpp" />
+    <ClInclude Include="..\..\..\include\boost\filesystem\config_info.hpp" />
     <ClInclude Include="..\..\..\include\boost\filesystem\convenience.hpp" />
     <ClInclude Include="..\..\..\include\boost\filesystem\detail\is_iterator.hpp" />
     <ClInclude Include="..\..\..\include\boost\filesystem\detail\source_value_type.hpp" />
     <ClInclude Include="..\..\..\include\boost\filesystem\detail\utf8_codecvt_facet.hpp" />
     <ClInclude Include="..\..\..\include\boost\filesystem\detail\version.hpp" />
-    <ClInclude Include="..\..\..\include\boost\filesystem\detail\version_imp.hpp" />
     <ClInclude Include="..\..\..\include\boost\filesystem\exception.hpp" />
     <ClInclude Include="..\..\..\include\boost\filesystem\fstream.hpp" />
     <ClInclude Include="..\..\..\include\boost\filesystem\operations.hpp" />
diff --git a/test/path_unit_test.cpp b/test/path_unit_test.cpp
index 68770ba..1229738 100644
--- a/test/path_unit_test.cpp
+++ b/test/path_unit_test.cpp
@@ -63,6 +63,12 @@ using std::endl;
 using std::string;
 using std::wstring;
 
+#ifdef BOOST_FILESYSTEM_CHAR16_CHAR32
+using std::u16string;
+using std::u32string;
+#endif
+
+
 #define CHECK(x) check(x, __FILE__, __LINE__)
 #define PATH_IS(a, b) check_path(a, b, __FILE__, __LINE__)
 #define NATIVE_IS(p, s, ws) check_native(p, s, ws, __FILE__, __LINE__)
@@ -160,6 +166,14 @@ namespace
   boost::container::vector<wchar_t> wbv; // see main() for initialization to w, f, u, z
 #endif
 
+#ifdef BOOST_FILESYSTEM_CHAR16_CHAR32
+  const char16_t u16a[] = {'u', '1', '6', 's', 't', 'r', 'i', 'n', 'g', '\0'};
+  const char32_t u32a[] = {'u', '3', '2', 's', 't', 'r', 'i', 'n', 'g', '\0'};
+  u16string u16s(u16a);
+  u32string u32s(u32a);
+
+#endif
+
   class Base {};
   class Derived : public Base {};
   void fun(const boost::shared_ptr< Base >&) {}
@@ -301,6 +315,25 @@ namespace
     BOOST_TEST_EQ(x19.native().size(), 7U);
 #endif
 
+#ifdef BOOST_FILESYSTEM_CHAR16_CHAR32
+
+    {
+      path x1(u32a);
+      PATH_IS(x1, L"u32string");
+      BOOST_TEST_EQ(x1.native().size(), 9U);
+
+      path x2(u32s);
+      PATH_IS(x2, L"u32string");
+      BOOST_TEST_EQ(x2.native().size(), 9U);
+
+      path x3(&u32a[0], &u32a[8]);
+      PATH_IS(x3, L"u32string");
+      BOOST_TEST_EQ(x3.native().size(), 9U);
+    }
+
+#endif
+
+
     // easy-to-make coding errors
     // path e1(x0, path::codecvt());  // fails to compile, and that is OK