diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 3e9e91c9..3b165acc 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -480,9 +480,6 @@ add_subdirectory(tutorials)
 add_subdirectory(py_tutorials)
 add_subdirectory(doc)
 add_subdirectory(nglib)
-if (USE_PYTHON)
-  add_subdirectory(python)
-endif (USE_PYTHON)
 add_subdirectory(tests)
 
 #######################################################################
@@ -540,6 +537,9 @@ if(USE_NATIVE_ARCH)
     endif(APPLE)
 endif(USE_NATIVE_ARCH)
 
+if (USE_PYTHON)
+  add_subdirectory(python)
+endif (USE_PYTHON)
 
 #######################################################################
 # Debian packager
diff --git a/cmake/generate_version_file.cmake b/cmake/generate_version_file.cmake
index 2e4ea270..d3344dcc 100644
--- a/cmake/generate_version_file.cmake
+++ b/cmake/generate_version_file.cmake
@@ -2,12 +2,17 @@ if(NOT BDIR)
   set(BDIR ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR})
 endif()
 
-if(SKBUILD)
-    set(git_version_string ${GIT_NETGEN_VERSION})
-else(SKBUILD)
+if(NETGEN_VERSION_GIT)
+    set(git_version_string ${NETGEN_VERSION_GIT})
+else()
     find_package(Git REQUIRED)
-    execute_process(COMMAND git describe --tags --match "v[0-9]*" --long --dirty WORKING_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR} OUTPUT_VARIABLE git_version_string RESULT_VARIABLE status ERROR_QUIET)
-endif(SKBUILD)
+    execute_process(COMMAND git describe --tags --match "v[0-9]*" --long --dirty
+        WORKING_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}
+        OUTPUT_VARIABLE git_version_string
+        RESULT_VARIABLE status
+        ERROR_QUIET OUTPUT_STRIP_TRAILING_WHITESPACE
+    )
+endif()
 
 if(status AND NOT status EQUAL 0)
   if(EXISTS ${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}/../version.txt)
@@ -65,15 +70,6 @@ else()
     file(WRITE ${BDIR}/netgen_version.hpp ${new_version_file_string})
 endif()
 
-
-set(py_version "${NETGEN_VERSION_MAJOR}.${NETGEN_VERSION_MINOR}.${NETGEN_VERSION_PATCH}")
-if(${NETGEN_VERSION_TWEAK} GREATER 0)
-    set(py_version "${py_version}.dev${NETGEN_VERSION_TWEAK}")
-endif()
-if(NOT SKBUILD)
-    file(WRITE ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/python/version.py "__version__ = \"${py_version}\"\n")
-endif()
-
 file(GENERATE OUTPUT netgen_config.hpp CONTENT
 "\
 #ifndef NETGEN_CONFIG_HPP_INCLUDED___
diff --git a/python/CMakeLists.txt b/python/CMakeLists.txt
index e0b89bcb..a38e97b3 100644
--- a/python/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/python/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -1,10 +1,15 @@
-configure_file(__init__.py ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/__init__.py @ONLY)
+get_target_property(ngcore_compile_definitions ngcore INTERFACE_COMPILE_DEFINITIONS)
+get_property(have_options TARGET ngcore PROPERTY INTERFACE_COMPILE_OPTIONS SET)
+if(have_options)
+    get_target_property(ngcore_compile_options ngcore INTERFACE_COMPILE_OPTIONS)
+endif(have_options)
+
+configure_file(config.py ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/config.py @ONLY)
 
 install(FILES
-        ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/__init__.py __main__.py
+        ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/config.py __main__.py __init__.py
         meshing.py csg.py geom2d.py stl.py gui.py NgOCC.py occ.py read_gmsh.py
         webgui.py
-        version.py # generated by either cmake or setup.py
         DESTINATION ${NG_INSTALL_DIR_PYTHON}/${NG_INSTALL_SUFFIX}
         COMPONENT netgen
         )
diff --git a/python/__init__.py b/python/__init__.py
index 85fd3b65..729bb6e8 100644
--- a/python/__init__.py
+++ b/python/__init__.py
@@ -1,8 +1,9 @@
 import os
 import sys
 
-_netgen_bin_dir=os.path.realpath(os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__),'..','@NETGEN_PYTHON_RPATH_BIN@'))
-_netgen_lib_dir=os.path.realpath(os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__),'..','@NETGEN_PYTHON_RPATH@'))
+from . import config
+_netgen_bin_dir=os.path.realpath(os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__),'..',config.NETGEN_PYTHON_RPATH_BIN))
+_netgen_lib_dir=os.path.realpath(os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__),'..',config.NETGEN_PYTHON_RPATH))
 
 if sys.platform.startswith('win'):
     if sys.version >= '3.8':
@@ -13,8 +14,6 @@ if sys.platform.startswith('win'):
 del sys
 del os
 
-from .version import __version__
-
 from . import libngpy
 
 def Redraw(*args, **kwargs):
diff --git a/python/config.py b/python/config.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a609f1da
--- /dev/null
+++ b/python/config.py
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+def _cmake_to_bool(s):
+    return s.upper() not in ['', '0','FALSE','OFF','N','NO','IGNORE','NOTFOUND']
+
+is_python_package    = _cmake_to_bool("@SKBUILD@")
+
+BUILD_FOR_CONDA     = _cmake_to_bool("@BUILD_FOR_CONDA@")
+BUILD_STUB_FILES    = _cmake_to_bool("@BUILD_STUB_FILES@")
+CHECK_RANGE         = _cmake_to_bool("@CHECK_RANGE@")
+DEBUG_LOG           = _cmake_to_bool("@DEBUG_LOG@")
+ENABLE_CPP_CORE_GUIDELINES_CHECK  = _cmake_to_bool("@ENABLE_CPP_CORE_GUIDELINES_CHECK@")
+ENABLE_UNIT_TESTS   = _cmake_to_bool("@ENABLE_UNIT_TESTS@")
+INSTALL_PROFILES    = _cmake_to_bool("@INSTALL_PROFILES@")
+INTEL_MIC           = _cmake_to_bool("@INTEL_MIC@")
+TRACE_MEMORY        = _cmake_to_bool("@TRACE_MEMORY@")
+USE_CCACHE          = _cmake_to_bool("@USE_CCACHE@")
+USE_CGNS            = _cmake_to_bool("@USE_CGNS@")
+USE_GUI             = _cmake_to_bool("@USE_GUI@")
+USE_INTERNAL_TCL    = _cmake_to_bool("@USE_INTERNAL_TCL@")
+USE_JPEG            = _cmake_to_bool("@USE_JPEG@")
+USE_MPEG            = _cmake_to_bool("@USE_MPEG@")
+USE_MPI             = _cmake_to_bool("@USE_MPI@")
+USE_MPI4PY          = _cmake_to_bool("@USE_MPI4PY@")
+USE_NATIVE_ARCH     = _cmake_to_bool("@USE_NATIVE_ARCH@")
+USE_NUMA            = _cmake_to_bool("@USE_NUMA@")
+USE_OCC             = _cmake_to_bool("@USE_OCC@")
+USE_PYTHON          = _cmake_to_bool("@USE_PYTHON@")
+USE_SPDLOG          = _cmake_to_bool("@USE_SPDLOG@")
+
+CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX  = "@CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX@"
+NG_INSTALL_DIR_PYTHON   = "@NG_INSTALL_DIR_PYTHON_DEFAULT@"
+NG_INSTALL_DIR_BIN      = "@NG_INSTALL_DIR_BIN_DEFAULT@"
+NG_INSTALL_DIR_LIB      = "@NG_INSTALL_DIR_LIB_DEFAULT@"
+NG_INSTALL_DIR_INCLUDE  = "@NG_INSTALL_DIR_INCLUDE_DEFAULT@"
+NG_INSTALL_DIR_CMAKE    = "@NG_INSTALL_DIR_CMAKE_DEFAULT@"
+NG_INSTALL_DIR_RES      = "@NG_INSTALL_DIR_RES_DEFAULT@"
+
+NETGEN_PYTHON_RPATH_BIN = "@NETGEN_PYTHON_RPATH_BIN@"
+NETGEN_PYTHON_RPATH     = "@NETGEN_PYTHON_RPATH@"
+
+NG_COMPILE_FLAGS           = "@NG_COMPILE_FLAGS@"
+ngcore_compile_options     = "@ngcore_compile_options@"
+ngcore_compile_definitions = "@ngcore_compile_definitions@"
+
+NETGEN_VERSION = "@NETGEN_VERSION@"
+NETGEN_VERSION_GIT = "@git_version_string@"
+NETGEN_VERSION_PYTHON = "@NETGEN_VERSION_PYTHON@"
+
+NETGEN_VERSION_MAJOR = "@NETGEN_VERSION_MAJOR@"
+NETGEN_VERSION_MINOR = "@NETGEN_VERSION_MINOR@"
+NETGEN_VERSION_TWEAK = "@NETGEN_VERSION_TWEAK@"
+NETGEN_VERSION_PATCH = "@NETGEN_VERSION_PATCH@"
+NETGEN_VERSION_HASH = "@NETGEN_VERSION_HASH@"
+
+version = NETGEN_VERSION_GIT
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index 26172dd7..1c9f6e08 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -38,7 +38,8 @@ py_install_dir = get_python_lib(1,0,'').replace('\\','/')
 name = "netgen-mesher"
 arch = None
 cmake_args = [
-        f'-DGIT_NETGEN_VERSION={git_version}',
+        f'-DNETGEN_VERSION_GIT={git_version}',
+        f'-DNETGEN_VERSION_PYTHON={version}',
     ]
 
 if 'NETGEN_ARCH' in os.environ: