diff --git a/MeshLib/Elements/Element.cpp b/MeshLib/Elements/Element.cpp
index 3687005147b6bea28d894d100a5df88037a01e7c..9a58a705cc78e762996e2748a516ced3eab51bd1 100644
--- a/MeshLib/Elements/Element.cpp
+++ b/MeshLib/Elements/Element.cpp
@@ -186,4 +186,20 @@ bool Element::isBoundaryElement() const
         [](MeshLib::Element const*const e){ return e == nullptr; });
 }
 
+#ifndef NDEBUG
+std::ostream& operator<<(std::ostream& os, Element const& e)
+{
+	os << "Element " << e._id << " @ " << &e
+		<< " with " << e.getNNeighbors() << " neighbours\n";
+
+	unsigned const nnodes = e.getNNodes();
+	MeshLib::Node* const* const nodes = e.getNodes();
+	os << nnodes << " nodes: { ";
+	for (unsigned n = 0; n < nnodes; ++n)
+		os << nodes[n]->getID() << " @ " << nodes[n] << "  ";
+	os << "}\n";
+	return os;
+}
+#endif  // NDEBUG
+
 }
diff --git a/MeshLib/Elements/Element.h b/MeshLib/Elements/Element.h
index 5b856a6e61e76c6b18e9249be2d67a9ab7e0b641..39425430159d2d08a93811ef0d1724164cb053ed 100644
--- a/MeshLib/Elements/Element.h
+++ b/MeshLib/Elements/Element.h
@@ -207,6 +207,9 @@ public:
 	 */
 	virtual bool testElementNodeOrder() const = 0;
 
+#ifndef NDEBUG
+	friend std::ostream& operator<<(std::ostream& os, Element const& e);
+#endif  // NDEBUG
 
 protected:
 	/// Constructor for a generic mesh element without an array of mesh nodes.