diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 4ccb4c77d..0b3f8e632 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -19,6 +19,12 @@ cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 2.6)
 project(icinga2)
 list(APPEND CMAKE_MODULE_PATH "${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/cmake")
 
+if(NOT CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE)
+  set(CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE RelWithDebInfo CACHE STRING
+      "Choose the type of build, options are: None Debug Release RelWithDebInfo MinSizeRel."
+      FORCE)
+endif()
+
 file(STRINGS icinga2.spec VERSION_LINE REGEX "^Version: ")
 string(REPLACE "Version: " "" ICINGA2_VERSION ${VERSION_LINE})