diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index a2b909e4739d11c09a8041af5c5b86c591a1e72f..0edcb9e9f69aa55eed95b395b818bb8d2c5bd201 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -5,6 +5,10 @@ All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file.
 
 ## [Current]
 
+### Changed
+
+- `\title` now accepts an optional argument. It will be used as a short version of the title and will be put into the header.
+
 ### Fixed
 
 - `\ihead` and `\ohead` now have a max width and will break into multiple lines (#7)
diff --git a/HsH-classes.dtx b/HsH-classes.dtx
index d9db6f9bc11be6d22ae4c191d61abd815314ac50..1c3869ee4adcca04099865904e1b0bfab1f89af6 100644
--- a/HsH-classes.dtx
+++ b/HsH-classes.dtx
@@ -143,6 +143,12 @@
 %<*article|report>
 %% title matters ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 %
+% redefine title to accept a short tile (like chapter, etc..)
+\newcommand*{\@shorttitle}{\@empty}
+\renewcommand{\title}[2][]{
+  \gdef\@title{#2}
+  \gdef\@shorttitle{#1}
+}
 \newcommand*{\@matrikelnr}{}
 \newcommand{\matrikelnr}[1]{\gdef\@matrikelnr{#1}}
 \newcommand*{\@professor}{}
@@ -169,10 +175,18 @@
 %<*article|report>
 %% header and footer
 \newpagestyle{HsHheadings}{
-  {\parbox{\sls@headwidth}{\LaTeXraggedright\@title}}
-  {\parbox{\sls@headwidth}{\LaTeXraggedleft\leftmark}}
   {
-    \parbox[b]{.45\sls@headwidth}{\LaTeXraggedright\@title}%
+    \parbox[b]{\sls@headwidth}{
+      \LaTeXraggedright
+      \ifx\@shorttitle\@empty\@title\else\@shorttitle\fi
+    }%
+  }
+  {\parbox[b]{\sls@headwidth}{\LaTeXraggedleft\leftmark}}
+  {
+    \parbox[b]{.45\sls@headwidth}{
+      \LaTeXraggedright
+      \ifx\@shorttitle\@empty\@title\else\@shorttitle\fi
+    }%
     \hfill
     \parbox[b]{.45\sls@headwidth}{\LaTeXraggedleft\headmark}%
   }
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 6e84a13c6d8e5bdc46b495c3df8ce47c3e50d0db..2477cc9a4454759ed77756d8ecbbbf24331975da 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -164,7 +164,8 @@ You can use the following macros to define the different information presented o
   comma-seperated list, if more than one author is present.
 - `\titlehead` is for a small line left of the logo. This is usually the department or division. May be empty
 - `\subject` is for a broad description of what your file is. "Laborbericht" for example. Can be empty.
-- `\title` is quite obvious. The only one that must be present.
+- `\title` is quite obvious. The only one that must be present. I additionally accept an optional parameter which will be treated as a short form of
+  the title and used in the header (this makes sense if your title is very long and fills your header too much)
 - `\subtitle` is a smaller second line under the title. Can be empty
 - `\date` is the date of your project. You can use a custom one, but if you don't set it, the current date at compile time will be used.
 - `\professor` a new macro do define your professors name, if needed.
diff --git a/src/HsH-article.cls b/src/HsH-article.cls
index af0ce27accd70e7d8891cf9b94ab9ad9164ad108..af8be928a1b28040574da73f9e4f06cdca215eb7 100644
--- a/src/HsH-article.cls
+++ b/src/HsH-article.cls
@@ -101,6 +101,11 @@
 \PassOptionsToPackage{european,EFvoltages,straightvoltages,betterproportions}{circuitikz}
 
 %% title matters ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+\newcommand*{\@shorttitle}{\@empty}
+\renewcommand{\title}[2][]{
+  \gdef\@title{#2}
+  \gdef\@shorttitle{#1}
+}
 \newcommand*{\@matrikelnr}{}
 \newcommand{\matrikelnr}[1]{\gdef\@matrikelnr{#1}}
 \newcommand*{\@professor}{}
@@ -120,10 +125,18 @@
 
 %% header and footer
 \newpagestyle{HsHheadings}{
-  {\parbox{\sls@headwidth}{\LaTeXraggedright\@title}}
-  {\parbox{\sls@headwidth}{\LaTeXraggedleft\leftmark}}
   {
-    \parbox[b]{.45\sls@headwidth}{\LaTeXraggedright\@title}%
+    \parbox[b]{\sls@headwidth}{
+      \LaTeXraggedright
+      \ifx\@shorttitle\@empty\@title\else\@shorttitle\fi
+    }%
+  }
+  {\parbox[b]{\sls@headwidth}{\LaTeXraggedleft\leftmark}}
+  {
+    \parbox[b]{.45\sls@headwidth}{
+      \LaTeXraggedright
+      \ifx\@shorttitle\@empty\@title\else\@shorttitle\fi
+    }%
     \hfill
     \parbox[b]{.45\sls@headwidth}{\LaTeXraggedleft\headmark}%
   }
diff --git a/src/HsH-report.cls b/src/HsH-report.cls
index f37c7d9673611274efaaae586c50af05a159c2e4..ac8a96207059ad94f12c68ef0f531e5871d107d8 100644
--- a/src/HsH-report.cls
+++ b/src/HsH-report.cls
@@ -101,6 +101,11 @@
 \PassOptionsToPackage{european,EFvoltages,straightvoltages,betterproportions}{circuitikz}
 
 %% title matters ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+\newcommand*{\@shorttitle}{\@empty}
+\renewcommand{\title}[2][]{
+  \gdef\@title{#2}
+  \gdef\@shorttitle{#1}
+}
 \newcommand*{\@matrikelnr}{}
 \newcommand{\matrikelnr}[1]{\gdef\@matrikelnr{#1}}
 \newcommand*{\@professor}{}
@@ -120,10 +125,18 @@
 
 %% header and footer
 \newpagestyle{HsHheadings}{
-  {\parbox{\sls@headwidth}{\LaTeXraggedright\@title}}
-  {\parbox{\sls@headwidth}{\LaTeXraggedleft\leftmark}}
   {
-    \parbox[b]{.45\sls@headwidth}{\LaTeXraggedright\@title}%
+    \parbox[b]{\sls@headwidth}{
+      \LaTeXraggedright
+      \ifx\@shorttitle\@empty\@title\else\@shorttitle\fi
+    }%
+  }
+  {\parbox[b]{\sls@headwidth}{\LaTeXraggedleft\leftmark}}
+  {
+    \parbox[b]{.45\sls@headwidth}{
+      \LaTeXraggedright
+      \ifx\@shorttitle\@empty\@title\else\@shorttitle\fi
+    }%
     \hfill
     \parbox[b]{.45\sls@headwidth}{\LaTeXraggedleft\headmark}%
   }
diff --git a/test.pdf b/test.pdf
index 8f5b8883e0ffdd130cba7763a2498dc9f6b7adb7..b9e4e8c9d6eb2d9b624a1e7b368ea5c20ad43b1a 100644
Binary files a/test.pdf and b/test.pdf differ
diff --git a/test.tex b/test.tex
index b47e105f56b2df4c903103b02443cb7900a1a30d..34b7ff10b03bba083e371fbe6236f4095368c4e0 100644
--- a/test.tex
+++ b/test.tex
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@
 }
 \titlehead{titlehead}
 \subject{Subject}
-\title{long and elaborate title that just goes on and on witout stopping}
+\title[short title]{long and elaborate title that just goes on and on witout stopping}
 \subtitle{Subtitle}
 \date{\today}
 \professor{Professor}
@@ -49,6 +49,8 @@
 		\caption{test}
 	\end{figure}
 
+	title test: \ifx\@shorttitle\@empty\@title\else\@shorttitle\fi
+
 	noch ein test \normalsubscripts$R_t$ \upsubscripts$R_t$
 
 	mit einheit: $R=200\,\mohm+ \SI{0.34567453}{\volt\per\metre}$