diff --git a/state/pystate.py b/state/pystate.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fff6565
--- /dev/null
+++ b/state/pystate.py
@@ -0,0 +1,286 @@
+from typing import Any, List, Tuple, Optional
+
+from .base import State, Node, Edge, Element
+
+
+class PyState(State):
+    """
+    State interface implemented using Python data structures.
+
+    This code is based on:
+    https://msdl.uantwerpen.be/git/yentl/modelverse/src/master/state/modelverse_state/main.py
+    """
+    def __init__(self):
+        self.edges = {}
+        self.outgoing = {}
+        self.incoming = {}
+        self.values = {}
+        self.nodes = set()
+        # Set used for garbage collection
+        self.GC = True
+        self.to_delete = set()
+
+        self.cache = {}
+        self.cache_node = {}
+
+        self.root = self.create_node()
+
+    def create_node(self) -> Node:
+        new_id = self.new_id()
+        self.nodes.add(new_id)
+        return new_id
+
+    def create_edge(self, source: Element, target: Element) -> Optional[Edge]:
+        if source not in self.edges and source not in self.nodes:
+            return None
+        elif target not in self.edges and target not in self.nodes:
+            return None
+        else:
+            new_id = self.new_id()
+            self.outgoing.setdefault(source, set()).add(new_id)
+            self.incoming.setdefault(target, set()).add(new_id)
+            self.edges[new_id] = (source, target)
+            if source in self.edges:
+                # We are creating something dict_readable
+                # Fill in the cache already!
+                dict_source, dict_target = self.edges[source]
+                if target in self.values:
+                    self.cache.setdefault(dict_source, {})[self.values[target]] = source
+                self.cache_node.setdefault(dict_source, {})[target] = source
+            return new_id
+
+    def create_nodevalue(self, value: Any) -> Optional[Node]:
+        if not self.is_valid_datavalue(value):
+            return None
+        new_id = self.new_id()
+        self.values[new_id] = value
+        self.nodes.add(new_id)
+        return new_id
+
+    def create_dict(self, source: Element, value: Any, target: Element) -> None:
+        if source not in self.nodes and source not in self.edges:
+            return None
+        elif target not in self.nodes and target not in self.edges:
+            return None
+        elif not self.is_valid_datavalue(value):
+            return None
+        else:
+            n = self.create_nodevalue(value)
+            e = self.create_edge(source, target)
+            assert n is not None and e is not None
+            e2 = self.create_edge(e, n)
+            self.cache.setdefault(source, {})[value] = e
+            self.cache_node.setdefault(source, {})[n] = e
+
+    def read_root(self) -> Node:
+        return self.root
+
+    def read_value(self, node: Node) -> Any:
+        if node in self.values:
+            return self.values[node]
+        else:
+            return None
+
+    def read_outgoing(self, elem: Element) -> Optional[List[Edge]]:
+        if elem in self.edges or elem in self.nodes:
+            if elem in self.outgoing:
+                return list(self.outgoing[elem])
+            else:
+                return []
+        else:
+            return None
+
+    def read_incoming(self, elem: Element) -> Optional[List[Edge]]:
+        if elem in self.edges or elem in self.nodes:
+            if elem in self.incoming:
+                return list(self.incoming[elem])
+            else:
+                return []
+        else:
+            return None
+
+    def read_edge(self, edge: Edge) -> Tuple[Optional[Element], Optional[Element]]:
+        if edge in self.edges:
+            return self.edges[edge][0], self.edges[edge][1]
+        else:
+            return None, None
+
+    def read_dict(self, elem: Element, value: Any) -> Optional[Element]:
+        e = self.read_dict_edge(elem, value)
+        if e is None:
+            return None
+        else:
+            return self.edges[e][1]
+
+    def read_dict_keys(self, elem: Element) -> Optional[List[Any]]:
+        if elem not in self.nodes and elem not in self.edges:
+            return None
+
+        result = []
+        # NOTE: cannot just use the cache here, as some keys in the cache might not actually exist;
+        # we would have to check all of them anyway
+        if elem in self.outgoing:
+            for e1 in self.outgoing[elem]:
+                if e1 in self.outgoing:
+                    for e2 in self.outgoing[e1]:
+                        result.append(self.edges[e2][1])
+        return result
+
+    def read_dict_edge(self, elem: Element, value: Any) -> Optional[Edge]:
+        try:
+            first = self.cache[elem][value]
+            # Got hit, so validate
+            if (self.edges[first][0] == elem) and (value in [self.values[self.edges[i][1]]
+                                                             for i in self.outgoing[first]
+                                                             if self.edges[i][1] in self.values]):
+                return first
+            # Hit but invalid now
+            del self.cache[elem][value]
+            return None
+        except KeyError:
+            return None
+
+    def read_dict_node(self, elem: Element, value_node: Node) -> Optional[Element]:
+        e = self.read_dict_node_edge(elem, value_node)
+        if e is None:
+            return None
+        else:
+            self.cache_node.setdefault(elem, {})[value_node] = e
+            return self.edges[e][1]
+
+    def read_dict_node_edge(self, elem: Element, value_node: Node) -> Optional[Edge]:
+        try:
+            first = self.cache_node[elem][value_node]
+            # Got hit, so validate
+            if (self.edges[first][0] == elem) and \
+               (value_node in [self.edges[i][1] for i in self.outgoing[first]]):
+                return first
+            # Hit but invalid now
+            del self.cache_node[elem][value_node]
+            return None
+        except KeyError:
+            return None
+
+    def read_reverse_dict(self, elem: Element, value: Any) -> Optional[List[Element]]:
+        if elem not in self.nodes and elem not in self.edges:
+            return None
+        # Get all outgoing links
+        matches = []
+        if elem in self.incoming:
+            for e1 in self.incoming[elem]:
+                # For each link, we read the links that might link to a data value
+                if e1 in self.outgoing:
+                    for e2 in self.outgoing[e1]:
+                        # Now read out the target of the link
+                        target = self.edges[e2][1]
+                        # And access its value
+                        if target in self.values and self.values[target] == value:
+                            # Found a match
+                            matches.append(e1)
+        return [self.edges[e][0] for e in matches]
+
+    def delete_node(self, node: Node) -> None:
+        if node == self.root:
+            return
+        elif node not in self.nodes:
+            return
+
+        self.nodes.remove(node)
+
+        if node in self.values:
+            del self.values[node]
+
+        s = set()
+        if node in self.outgoing:
+            for e in self.outgoing[node]:
+                s.add(e)
+            del self.outgoing[node]
+        if node in self.incoming:
+            for e in self.incoming[node]:
+                s.add(e)
+            del self.incoming[node]
+
+        for e in s:
+            self.delete_edge(e)
+
+        if node in self.outgoing:
+            del self.outgoing[node]
+        if node in self.incoming:
+            del self.incoming[node]
+
+    def delete_edge(self, edge: Edge) -> None:
+        if edge not in self.edges:
+            return
+
+        s, t = self.edges[edge]
+        if t in self.incoming:
+            self.incoming[t].remove(edge)
+        if s in self.outgoing:
+            self.outgoing[s].remove(edge)
+
+        del self.edges[edge]
+
+        s = set()
+        if edge in self.outgoing:
+            for e in self.outgoing[edge]:
+                s.add(e)
+        if edge in self.incoming:
+            for e in self.incoming[edge]:
+                s.add(e)
+
+        for e in s:
+            self.delete_edge(e)
+
+        if edge in self.outgoing:
+            del self.outgoing[edge]
+        if edge in self.incoming:
+            del self.incoming[edge]
+
+        if self.GC and (t in self.incoming and not self.incoming[t]) and (t not in self.edges):
+            # Remove this node as well
+            # Edges aren't deleted like this, as they might have a reachable target and source!
+            # If they haven't, they will be removed because the source was removed.
+            self.to_delete.add(t)
+
+    def purge(self):
+        while self.to_delete:
+            t = self.to_delete.pop()
+            if t in self.incoming and not self.incoming[t]:
+                self.delete_node(t)
+
+        values = set(self.edges)
+        values.update(self.nodes)
+        visit_list = [self.root]
+
+        while visit_list:
+            elem = visit_list.pop()
+            if elem in values:
+                # Remove it from the leftover values
+                values.remove(elem)
+                if elem in self.edges:
+                    visit_list.extend(self.edges[elem])
+                if elem in self.outgoing:
+                    visit_list.extend(self.outgoing[elem])
+                if elem in self.incoming:
+                    visit_list.extend(self.incoming[elem])
+
+        dset = set()
+        for key in self.cache:
+            if key not in self.nodes and key not in self.edges:
+                dset.add(key)
+        for key in dset:
+            del self.cache[key]
+
+        dset = set()
+        for key in self.cache_node:
+            if key not in self.nodes and key not in self.edges:
+                dset.add(key)
+        for key in dset:
+            del self.cache_node[key]
+
+        # All remaining elements are to be purged
+        if len(values) > 0:
+            while values:
+                v = values.pop()
+                if v in self.nodes:
+                    self.delete_node(v)