diff --git a/src/main/java/at/beris/virtualfile/UrlFileContext.java b/src/main/java/at/beris/virtualfile/UrlFileContext.java
index 4d789a7..2153097 100644
--- a/src/main/java/at/beris/virtualfile/UrlFileContext.java
+++ b/src/main/java/at/beris/virtualfile/UrlFileContext.java
@@ -84,7 +84,8 @@ public VirtualFile newFile(URL url) {
         VirtualFile file = null;
         StringBuilder stringBuilder = new StringBuilder();
 
-        for (String pathPart : fullPath.split("/")) {
+        String[] pathParts = "/".equals(fullPath) ? new String[]{"/"} : fullPath.split("/");
+        for (String pathPart : pathParts) {
             stringBuilder.append(pathPart);
             if (stringBuilder.length() < fullPath.length())
                 stringBuilder.append('/');
diff --git a/src/test/java/at/beris/virtualfile/UrlFileContextTest.java b/src/test/java/at/beris/virtualfile/UrlFileContextTest.java
index 5bd8504..03606b4 100644
--- a/src/test/java/at/beris/virtualfile/UrlFileContextTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/at/beris/virtualfile/UrlFileContextTest.java
@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@
 
 package at.beris.virtualfile;
 
-import at.beris.virtualfile.cache.FileCache;
 import at.beris.virtualfile.config.Configurator;
 import org.junit.Assert;
 import org.junit.Before;
@@ -39,4 +38,10 @@ public void getParentFile() throws MalformedURLException {
         VirtualFile parentFile3 = fileContext.newFile(new URL("file:/this/"));
         Assert.assertNotSame(parentFile1, parentFile3);
     }
+
+    @Test
+    public void newRootFile() throws MalformedURLException {
+        VirtualFile virtualFile = fileContext.newFile(new URL("file:/"));
+        Assert.assertNotNull(virtualFile);
+    }
 }
\ No newline at end of file