diff --git a/src/db/db/dbHierarchyBuilder.cc b/src/db/db/dbHierarchyBuilder.cc
index 50340a6a1..5ea489b02 100644
--- a/src/db/db/dbHierarchyBuilder.cc
+++ b/src/db/db/dbHierarchyBuilder.cc
@@ -714,7 +714,10 @@ TextBuildingHierarchyBuilderShapeReceiver::TextBuildingHierarchyBuilderShapeRece
 void TextBuildingHierarchyBuilderShapeReceiver::push (const db::Shape &shape, const db::ICplxTrans &trans, const db::Box & /*region*/, const db::RecursiveShapeReceiver::box_tree_type * /*complex_region*/, db::Shapes *target)
 {
   if (shape.is_text ()) {
-    target->insert (shape.text ().transformed (trans));
+    db::Text t;
+    shape.text (t);
+    t.transform (trans);
+    target->insert (t);
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/src/db/unit_tests/dbDeepTextsTests.cc b/src/db/unit_tests/dbDeepTextsTests.cc
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..78586ed3e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/db/unit_tests/dbDeepTextsTests.cc
@@ -0,0 +1,85 @@
+
+/*
+
+  KLayout Layout Viewer
+  Copyright (C) 2006-2020 Matthias Koefferlein
+
+  This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
+  it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+  the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or
+  (at your option) any later version.
+
+  This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+  but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+  MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+  GNU General Public License for more details.
+
+  You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+  along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software
+  Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin St, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA  02110-1301  USA
+
+*/
+
+
+#include "dbHierarchyBuilder.h"
+#include "dbReader.h"
+#include "dbTestSupport.h"
+#include "dbTexts.h"
+#include "dbDeepShapeStore.h"
+#include "dbRegion.h"
+#include "dbEdges.h"
+#include "tlUnitTest.h"
+#include "tlStream.h"
+
+TEST(1_Basics)
+{
+  db::Layout ly;
+  {
+    std::string fn (tl::testsrc ());
+    fn += "/testdata/algo/deep_texts_l1.gds";
+    tl::InputStream stream (fn);
+    db::Reader reader (stream);
+    reader.read (ly);
+  }
+
+  db::cell_index_type top_cell_index = *ly.begin_top_down ();
+  db::Cell &top_cell = ly.cell (top_cell_index);
+
+  db::DeepShapeStore dss;
+
+  unsigned int l2 = ly.get_layer (db::LayerProperties (2, 0));
+  unsigned int l3 = ly.get_layer (db::LayerProperties (3, 0));
+  unsigned int l100 = ly.get_layer (db::LayerProperties (100, 0));
+
+  db::Texts texts2 (db::RecursiveShapeIterator (ly, top_cell, l2), dss);
+  db::Texts texts3 (db::RecursiveShapeIterator (ly, top_cell, l3), dss);
+  db::Texts texts100 (db::RecursiveShapeIterator (ly, top_cell, l100), dss);
+
+  EXPECT_EQ (texts100.empty (), true);
+  EXPECT_EQ (texts2.empty (), false);
+  EXPECT_EQ (texts2.bbox ().to_string (), "(-520,0;24040,2800)");
+  EXPECT_EQ (texts2.size (), size_t (40));
+  EXPECT_EQ (texts2.to_string ().substr (0, 42), "('L2',r0 -520,0);('L2',r0 -520,2800);('L2'");
+
+  db::Layout target;
+  unsigned int target_top_cell_index = target.add_cell (ly.cell_name (top_cell_index));
+
+  db::Region polygons;
+  texts2.polygons (polygons);
+  target.insert (target_top_cell_index, target.get_layer (db::LayerProperties (10, 0)), polygons);
+
+  polygons.clear ();
+  texts3.polygons (polygons);
+  target.insert (target_top_cell_index, target.get_layer (db::LayerProperties (20, 0)), polygons);
+
+  db::Edges edges;
+  texts2.edges (edges);
+  target.insert (target_top_cell_index, target.get_layer (db::LayerProperties (11, 0)), edges);
+
+  //  NOTE: insert texts2 as layer 14/0 from a copy - this tests the ability to copy-construct an TC
+  db::Texts texts2_copy (texts2);
+  texts2_copy.insert_into_as_polygons (&target, target_top_cell_index, target.get_layer (db::LayerProperties (14, 0)), 1);
+
+  CHECKPOINT();
+  db::compare_layouts (_this, target, tl::testsrc () + "/testdata/algo/deep_texts_au1.gds");
+}
diff --git a/src/db/unit_tests/unit_tests.pro b/src/db/unit_tests/unit_tests.pro
index 20e692741..7962b945a 100644
--- a/src/db/unit_tests/unit_tests.pro
+++ b/src/db/unit_tests/unit_tests.pro
@@ -74,7 +74,8 @@ SOURCES = \
     dbBoxTreeTests.cc \
     dbBoxScannerTests.cc \
     dbBoxTests.cc \
-    dbArrayTests.cc
+    dbArrayTests.cc \
+    dbDeepTextsTests.cc
 
 INCLUDEPATH += $$TL_INC $$DB_INC $$GSI_INC
 DEPENDPATH += $$TL_INC $$DB_INC $$GSI_INC
diff --git a/testdata/algo/deep_texts_au1.gds b/testdata/algo/deep_texts_au1.gds
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..ed1dcab44
Binary files /dev/null and b/testdata/algo/deep_texts_au1.gds differ
diff --git a/testdata/algo/deep_texts_l1.gds b/testdata/algo/deep_texts_l1.gds
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..fbde83f92
Binary files /dev/null and b/testdata/algo/deep_texts_l1.gds differ