diff --git a/LehrerApp.Desktop/App.axaml.cs b/LehrerApp.Desktop/App.axaml.cs
index aa8d80a..ea26c44 100644
--- a/LehrerApp.Desktop/App.axaml.cs
+++ b/LehrerApp.Desktop/App.axaml.cs
@@ -1,7 +1,9 @@
 using Avalonia;
+using Avalonia.Controls;
 using Avalonia.Controls.ApplicationLifetimes;
 using Avalonia.Markup.Xaml;
 using Avalonia.Styling;
+using Avalonia.Threading;
 using LehrerApp.Core.Interfaces;
 using LehrerApp.Core.Models;
 using LehrerApp.Core.Services;
@@ -38,32 +40,45 @@ public class App : Application
 
         if (ApplicationLifetime is IClassicDesktopStyleApplicationLifetime desktop)
         {
-            // Verschlüsselte Datenbank (13.3.4): Passwort abfragen, bevor die Datenbank
-            // (und damit BuildServices, das sie öffnet) angefasst wird.
-            if (AppBootstrapper.IsDbEncrypted())
-            {
-                var promptVm = new DbPasswordPromptViewModel(
-                    new DatabaseEncryptionService(), AppBootstrapper.ResolveDbPath());
-                var promptWindow = new DbPasswordPromptWindow { DataContext = promptVm };
-                promptVm.OnUnlocked = password =>
-                {
-                    AppBootstrapper.DbPassword = password;
-                    StartMainApp(desktop, showImmediately: true);
-                    promptWindow.Close();
-                };
-                desktop.MainWindow = promptWindow;
-            }
-            else
-            {
-                StartMainApp(desktop, showImmediately: false);
-            }
+            // Erst den Splashscreen anzeigen und die synchrone Initialisierung in den ersten
+            // Dispatcher-Durchlauf verschieben, damit das Ladebild vorher gezeichnet wird.
+            var splash = new SplashWindow();
+            desktop.MainWindow = splash;
+            Dispatcher.UIThread.Post(
+                () => ContinueStartup(desktop, splash),
+                DispatcherPriority.Background);
         }
 
         base.OnFrameworkInitializationCompleted();
     }
 
+    private static void ContinueStartup(
+        IClassicDesktopStyleApplicationLifetime desktop, SplashWindow splash)
+    {
+        // Verschlüsselte Datenbank (13.3.4): Passwort abfragen, bevor die Datenbank
+        // (und damit BuildServices, das sie öffnet) angefasst wird.
+        if (AppBootstrapper.IsDbEncrypted())
+        {
+            var promptVm = new DbPasswordPromptViewModel(
+                new DatabaseEncryptionService(), AppBootstrapper.ResolveDbPath());
+            var promptWindow = new DbPasswordPromptWindow { DataContext = promptVm };
+            promptVm.OnUnlocked = password =>
+            {
+                AppBootstrapper.DbPassword = password;
+                StartMainApp(desktop, splash);
+                promptWindow.Close();
+            };
+            desktop.MainWindow = promptWindow;
+            promptWindow.Show();
+            splash.Close();
+            return;
+        }
+
+        StartMainApp(desktop, splash);
+    }
+
     private static void StartMainApp(
-        IClassicDesktopStyleApplicationLifetime desktop, bool showImmediately)
+        IClassicDesktopStyleApplicationLifetime desktop, Window? windowToClose = null)
     {
         _serviceProvider = AppBootstrapper.BuildServices();
         Services = _serviceProvider;
@@ -96,7 +111,8 @@ public class App : Application
         if (Services.GetService<SyncEngine>() is { } syncEngine)
             main.EnableFinalSync(syncEngine);
         desktop.MainWindow = main;
-        if (showImmediately) main.Show();
+        main.Show();
+        windowToClose?.Close();
     }
 
     /// <summary>Wechselt die Darstellung sofort, ohne Neustart (12.4) — Avalonia stylt den
diff --git a/LehrerApp.Desktop/Assets/SplashScreen.png b/LehrerApp.Desktop/Assets/SplashScreen.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..edfbcb8
Binary files /dev/null and b/LehrerApp.Desktop/Assets/SplashScreen.png differ
diff --git a/LehrerApp.Desktop/Views/SplashWindow.axaml b/LehrerApp.Desktop/Views/SplashWindow.axaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4e5e58f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/LehrerApp.Desktop/Views/SplashWindow.axaml
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+<Window xmlns="https://github.com/avaloniaui"
+        xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
+        x:Class="LehrerApp.Desktop.Views.SplashWindow"
+        Title="LehrerPlaner Organizer wird geladen"
+        Width="450" Height="600"
+        CanResize="False"
+        ShowInTaskbar="False"
+        WindowDecorations="None"
+        WindowStartupLocation="CenterScreen">
+  <Image Source="/Assets/SplashScreen.png"
+         Stretch="UniformToFill"
+         HorizontalAlignment="Stretch"
+         VerticalAlignment="Stretch"/>
+</Window>
diff --git a/LehrerApp.Desktop/Views/SplashWindow.axaml.cs b/LehrerApp.Desktop/Views/SplashWindow.axaml.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3f46413
--- /dev/null
+++ b/LehrerApp.Desktop/Views/SplashWindow.axaml.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+using Avalonia.Controls;
+
+namespace LehrerApp.Desktop.Views;
+
+public partial class SplashWindow : Window
+{
+    public SplashWindow() => InitializeComponent();
+}