diff --git a/boost-1.74.patch b/boost-1.74.patch
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8acbd60
--- /dev/null
+++ b/boost-1.74.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+From a392907978506408482d0bdd388534455ba8dfba Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
+From: =?UTF-8?q?Jean-No=C3=ABl=20Grad?= <jgrad@icp.uni-stuttgart.de>
+Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2020 21:22:39 +0100
+Subject: [PATCH] core: Add guard for boost 1.74.0
+
+This <boost/serialization/version.hpp> include guards against an issue
+in boost::serialization from boost 1.74.0 that leads to compiler error
+"explicit specialization of undeclared template struct 'version'" when
+including <boost/serialization/optional.hpp>. More details in tickets:
+https://github.com/boostorg/serialization/issues/210
+https://github.com/boostorg/serialization/issues/217
+
+diff --git a/src/core/grid_based_algorithms/lb_particle_coupling.hpp b/src/core/grid_based_algorithms/lb_particle_coupling.hpp
+index de12cb4..13111ab 100644
+--- a/src/core/grid_based_algorithms/lb_particle_coupling.hpp
++++ b/src/core/grid_based_algorithms/lb_particle_coupling.hpp
+@@ -21,6 +21,15 @@
+
+ #include "ParticleRange.hpp"
+
++/* This <boost/serialization/version.hpp> include guards against an issue
++ * in boost::serialization from boost 1.74.0 that leads to compiler error
++ * "explicit specialization of undeclared template struct 'version'" when
++ * including <boost/serialization/optional.hpp>. More details in tickets:
++ * https://github.com/boostorg/serialization/issues/210
++ * https://github.com/boostorg/serialization/issues/217
++ */
++#include <boost/serialization/version.hpp>
++
+ #include <boost/serialization/optional.hpp>
+
+ #include "ParticleRange.hpp"
diff --git a/python3-espressomd.changes b/python3-espressomd.changes
index 4b49a3f..b8eaa41 100644
--- a/python3-espressomd.changes
+++ b/python3-espressomd.changes
@@ -1,3 +1,9 @@
+-------------------------------------------------------------------
+Thu Oct 29 15:42:42 UTC 2020 - Christoph Junghans <junghans@votca.org>
+
+- added boost-1.74.patch to fix build with boost-1.74
+  (gh#espressomd/espresso#3864)
+
 -------------------------------------------------------------------
 Tue Oct 20 19:03:28 UTC 2020 - Christoph Junghans <junghans@votca.org>
 
diff --git a/python3-espressomd.spec b/python3-espressomd.spec
index 13331b9..5c328ed 100644
--- a/python3-espressomd.spec
+++ b/python3-espressomd.spec
@@ -42,6 +42,8 @@ License:        GPL-3.0-or-later
 Group:          Productivity/Scientific/Chemistry
 URL:            http://espressomd.org
 Source:         https://github.com/%{modname}/%{pkgname}/releases/download/%{version}/%{pkgname}-%{version}.tar.gz
+# PATCH-FIX-UPSTREAM boost-1.74.patch gh#espressomd/espresso#3864
+Patch0:         boost-1.74.patch
 BuildRequires:  cmake
 BuildRequires:  fftw3-devel
 BuildRequires:  gcc-c++
@@ -79,6 +81,7 @@ systems, for example DNA and lipid membranes.
 
 %prep
 %setup -q -n %{pkgname}
+%patch0 -p1
 
 %build
 source %{_libdir}/mpi/gcc/%{mpiver}/bin/mpivars.sh