diff --git a/FreeCAD.changes b/FreeCAD.changes
index e59bbdd..c2cb44f 100644
--- a/FreeCAD.changes
+++ b/FreeCAD.changes
@@ -1,3 +1,8 @@
+-------------------------------------------------------------------
+Tue Feb 12 21:10:12 UTC 2019 - Adrian Schröter <adrian@suse.de>
+
+- enable FEM module
+
 -------------------------------------------------------------------
 Mon Feb  4 08:28:22 UTC 2019 - Adrian Schröter <adrian@suse.de>
 
diff --git a/FreeCAD.spec b/FreeCAD.spec
index 30f8c1b..2c9b0d3 100644
--- a/FreeCAD.spec
+++ b/FreeCAD.spec
@@ -43,10 +43,9 @@ Patch5:         get-rid-of-private-function-_PyImport_FixupBuiltin-for-__FreeCAD
 Patch6:         get-rid-of-private-function-_PyImport_FixupBuiltin-for-FreeCAD-and-FreeCADGui-modules.patch
 BuildRequires:  Coin-devel
 #BuildRequires:  SoQt-devel
-#BuildRequires:  libmed-devel # needed for FEM module, but requires older hdf5 lib
+BuildRequires:  libmed-devel
 # we use upstream OpenCASCADE instead of oce atm
-#BuildRequires:  hdf5-1_8-devel
-#BuildRequires:  hdf5-1_8-openmpi-devel
+BuildRequires:  hdf5-devel
 BuildRequires:  occt-devel
 BuildRequires:  vtk-devel
 BuildRequires:  vtk-java
@@ -201,7 +200,7 @@ cmake \
   -DFREECAD_USE_EXTERNAL_PIVY:BOOL=TRUE \
   -DBUILD_MESH_PART:BOOL=ON \
   -DBUILD_OPENSCAD:BOOL=ON \
-  -DBUILD_FEM:BOOL=OFF \
+  -DBUILD_FEM:BOOL=ON \
   -DBUILD_FEM_NETGEN:BOOL=OFF \
   -DFREECAD_USE_EXTERNAL_SMESH=OFF \
   ..