diff --git a/src/main/java/org/springframework/samples/petclinic/config/MvcCoreConfig.java b/src/main/java/org/springframework/samples/petclinic/config/MvcCoreConfig.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..69ddf94e7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/main/java/org/springframework/samples/petclinic/config/MvcCoreConfig.java
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+package org.springframework.samples.petclinic.config;
+
+import org.springframework.context.annotation.Configuration;
+import org.springframework.context.annotation.ImportResource;
+
+@Configuration
+@ImportResource("classpath:spring/mvc-core-config.xml")
+public class MvcCoreConfig {
+
+}
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/springframework/samples/petclinic/config/RootApplicationContextConfig.java b/src/main/java/org/springframework/samples/petclinic/config/RootApplicationContextConfig.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..9a55d3605
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/main/java/org/springframework/samples/petclinic/config/RootApplicationContextConfig.java
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+package org.springframework.samples.petclinic.config;
+
+import org.springframework.context.annotation.Configuration;
+import org.springframework.context.annotation.ImportResource;
+
+@Configuration
+@ImportResource({"classpath:spring/business-config.xml", "classpath:spring/tools-config.xml"})
+public class RootApplicationContextConfig {
+
+}
diff --git a/src/main/webapp/WEB-INF/web.xml b/src/main/webapp/WEB-INF/web.xml
index 360e3698a..2fcd59eba 100644
--- a/src/main/webapp/WEB-INF/web.xml
+++ b/src/main/webapp/WEB-INF/web.xml
@@ -28,13 +28,18 @@ http://java.sun.com/xml/ns/javaee/web-app_2_5.xsd"
 	-->
 
     <!--
-		- Location of the XML file that defines the root application context.
+		- Location of the Java configuration that defines the root application context.
 		- Applied by ContextLoaderListener.
 	-->
-    <context-param>
-        <param-name>contextConfigLocation</param-name>
-        <param-value>classpath:spring/business-config.xml, classpath:spring/tools-config.xml</param-value>
-    </context-param>
+	<context-param>
+	  	<param-name>contextClass</param-name>
+	  	<param-value>org.springframework.web.context.support.AnnotationConfigWebApplicationContext</param-value>
+	</context-param>
+	<context-param>
+		<param-name>contextConfigLocation</param-name>
+		<param-value>org.springframework.samples.petclinic.config.RootApplicationContextConfig</param-value>
+	</context-param>	
+    
 
     <listener>
         <listener-class>org.springframework.web.context.ContextLoaderListener</listener-class>
@@ -46,10 +51,14 @@ http://java.sun.com/xml/ns/javaee/web-app_2_5.xsd"
     <servlet>
         <servlet-name>petclinic</servlet-name>
         <servlet-class>org.springframework.web.servlet.DispatcherServlet</servlet-class>
-        <init-param>
-            <param-name>contextConfigLocation</param-name>
-            <param-value>classpath:spring/mvc-core-config.xml</param-value>
-        </init-param>
+		<init-param>
+			<param-name>contextClass</param-name>
+			<param-value>org.springframework.web.context.support.AnnotationConfigWebApplicationContext</param-value>
+		</init-param>
+		<init-param>
+			<param-name>contextConfigLocation</param-name>
+			<param-value>org.springframework.samples.petclinic.config.MvcCoreConfig</param-value>
+		</init-param>
         <load-on-startup>1</load-on-startup>
     </servlet>