diff --git a/lib/OpenLayers/Map.js b/lib/OpenLayers/Map.js
index a9952cb36a..dd734e0a79 100644
--- a/lib/OpenLayers/Map.js
+++ b/lib/OpenLayers/Map.js
@@ -1167,6 +1167,8 @@ OpenLayers.Map = OpenLayers.Class({
 
     /**
      * APIMethod: addControl
+     * Add the passed over control to the map. Optionally 
+     *     position the control at the given pixel.
      * 
      * Parameters:
      * control - {<OpenLayers.Control>}
@@ -1176,6 +1178,28 @@ OpenLayers.Map = OpenLayers.Class({
         this.controls.push(control);
         this.addControlToMap(control, px);
     },
+    
+    /**
+     * APIMethod: addControls
+     * Add all of the passed over controls to the map. 
+     *     You can pass over an optional second array
+     *     with pixel-objects to position the controls.
+     *     The indices of the two arrays should match and
+     *     you can add null as pixel for those controls 
+     *     you want to be autopositioned.   
+     *     
+     * Parameters:
+     * controls - {Array(<OpenLayers.Control>)}
+     * pixels - {Array(<OpenLayers.Pixel>)}
+     */    
+    addControls: function (controls, pixels) {
+        var pxs = (arguments.length === 1) ? [] : pixels;
+        for (var i=0, len=controls.length; i<len; i++) {
+            var ctrl = controls[i];
+            var px = (pxs[i]) ? pxs[i] : null;
+            this.addControl( ctrl, px );
+        }
+    },
 
     /**
      * Method: addControlToMap
diff --git a/tests/Map.html b/tests/Map.html
index 7dfb3ce660..3b0f435339 100644
--- a/tests/Map.html
+++ b/tests/Map.html
@@ -921,6 +921,35 @@
         map.destroy();
     }
 
+    function test_Map_addControls(t) {
+        t.plan(5);
+        var map = new OpenLayers.Map('map', {
+            controls: []
+        });
+        var controls = [
+          new OpenLayers.Control({id:'firstctrl'}),
+          new OpenLayers.Control({id:'secondctrl'})
+        ];
+        map.addControls(controls);
+        t.eq(map.controls.length, 2, "two controls were added by map.addControls without a px-array");
+        t.eq(map.controls[0].id, 'firstctrl', "control with index 0 has id 'firstctrl'");
+        t.eq(map.controls[1].id, 'secondctrl', "control with index 1 has id 'secondctrl'");
+        
+        var controls2 = [
+          new OpenLayers.Control({id:'thirdctrl'}),
+          new OpenLayers.Control({id:'fourthctrl'}),
+          new OpenLayers.Control({id:'fifthctrl'})
+        ];
+        // this array is intentionally one element shorter than the above       
+        var pixels2 = [
+          null,
+          new OpenLayers.Pixel(27,11)
+        ];
+        map.addControls(controls2, pixels2);
+        t.eq(map.controls.length, 5, "three additional controls were added by map.addControls with a px-array");
+        t.eq(map.controls[3].position.toString(), pixels2[1].toString(), "control 'fourthctrl' has position set to given px");
+    }
+
     function test_Map_getControl(t) {
         t.plan(2);