diff --git a/src/MarkovMatrix.cpp b/src/MarkovMatrix.cpp
index cd7c4ca..a1ac54b 100644
--- a/src/MarkovMatrix.cpp
+++ b/src/MarkovMatrix.cpp
@@ -1,9 +1,17 @@
 #include "MarkovMatrix.hpp"
 
 #include <algorithm> // for std::max
+#include <iostream>
+#include <stdexcept>
 
 
-MarkovMatrix::MarkovMatrix(int length)
+MarkovMatrix::MarkovMatrix()
+{
+	// do nothing
+}
+
+
+MarkovMatrix::MarkovMatrix(char length)
 {
 	this->length = length;
 }
@@ -45,3 +53,41 @@ std::unordered_map<std::string, int> MarkovMatrix::hiccup(std::string& previous)
 	std::string before = previous.substr(pos, len);
 	return this->matrix.at(before);
 }
+
+
+void MarkovMatrix::load(std::istream& is)
+{
+	char file_version;
+	is.read(&file_version, sizeof(char));
+}
+
+
+void MarkovMatrix::save(std::ostream& os)
+{
+	os << this->file_version << std::endl;
+	
+	os << this->matrix.size() << std::endl;
+	for (auto map : this->matrix) {
+		os << map.first << std::endl;
+		
+		os << map.second.size() << std::endl;
+		for (auto character : map.second) {
+			os << character.first << std::endl;
+			os << character.second << std::endl;
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+
+std::istream& operator>>(std::istream& is, MarkovMatrix& matrix)
+{
+	matrix.load(is);
+	return is;
+}
+
+
+std::ostream& operator<<(std::ostream& os, MarkovMatrix& matrix)
+{
+	matrix.save(os);
+	return os;
+}
diff --git a/src/MarkovMatrix.hpp b/src/MarkovMatrix.hpp
index 9bff329..03981f8 100644
--- a/src/MarkovMatrix.hpp
+++ b/src/MarkovMatrix.hpp
@@ -8,16 +8,27 @@
 class MarkovMatrix
 {
 public:
-	MarkovMatrix(int length);
+	MarkovMatrix();
+	MarkovMatrix(char length);
 	~MarkovMatrix();
 	
 	void feed(std::string& line);
 	void reset(int length=0); // reset the matrix, length>0 -> set a new length
 	std::unordered_map<std::string, int> hiccup(std::string& previous);
 	
+	// loading and saving of internal state to files
+	virtual void load(std::istream& is);
+	virtual void save(std::ostream& os);
+	
 private:
-	int length;
+	char length = 0;
 	std::unordered_map<std::string, std::unordered_map<std::string, int> > matrix;
+	
+	const char file_version = 1; // version of file format
 };
 
+
+std::istream& operator>>(std::istream& is, MarkovMatrix& matrix);
+std::ostream& operator<<(std::ostream& os, MarkovMatrix& matrix);
+
 #endif
diff --git a/src/SimpleMarkov.cpp b/src/SimpleMarkov.cpp
index e675085..5c77df7 100644
--- a/src/SimpleMarkov.cpp
+++ b/src/SimpleMarkov.cpp
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 #include "SimpleMarkov.hpp"
 
 #include <chrono>
+#include <fstream>
+#include <stdexcept>
 
 /*
 class SimpleMarkov : public Markov
@@ -21,6 +23,10 @@ private:
 	virtual std::string regurgitateLine(std::string start="");
 };
 */
+SimpleMarkov::SimpleMarkov(std::string filename)
+{
+	this->load(filename);
+}
 
 SimpleMarkov::SimpleMarkov(int length) :
 	matrix(length),
@@ -36,15 +42,52 @@ SimpleMarkov::~SimpleMarkov()
 }
 
 
+/*
 void SimpleMarkov::load(std::string filename)
 {
-	// do nothing
+	std::ifstream ifs(filename);
+	std::string type, version;
+	ifs >> type >> version;
+	if (type != "s" || version != "0001") {
+		throw std::invalid_argument("Wrong file type or version.");
+	}
+	
+	ifs >> this->matrix;
+	ifs.close();
 }
 
 
 void SimpleMarkov::save(std::string filename)
 {
-	// do nothing
+	std::ofstream ofs(filename);
+	ofs << "s" << std::endl;
+	ofs << "0001" << std::endl;
+	ofs << this->matrix;
+	ofs.close();
+}
+*/
+
+
+void SimpleMarkov::load(std::string filename)
+{
+	std::ifstream ifs(filename);
+	
+	
+	
+	ifs.close();
+}
+
+
+void SimpleMarkov::save(std::string filename)
+{
+	std::ofstream ofs(filename);
+	
+	// file type and version of format
+	ofs << this->file_gentype << std::endl;
+	ofs << this->file_version << std::endl;
+	ofs << this->matrix;
+	
+	ofs.close();
 }
 
 
diff --git a/src/SimpleMarkov.hpp b/src/SimpleMarkov.hpp
index 3d7c4d7..47da904 100644
--- a/src/SimpleMarkov.hpp
+++ b/src/SimpleMarkov.hpp
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
 class SimpleMarkov : public Markov
 {
 public:
+	SimpleMarkov(std::string filename);
 	SimpleMarkov(int length=10);
 	virtual ~SimpleMarkov();
 	
@@ -26,6 +27,9 @@ private:
 	
 	MarkovMatrix matrix;
 	std::default_random_engine generator;
+	
+	const char file_gentype = 's'; // type of the generator
+	const char file_version = 1; // version of file format
 };
 
 #endif