diff --git a/dune/xt/la/container/container-interface.hh b/dune/xt/la/container/container-interface.hh
index 236910810b5753507ad79bbb86b015fa7e6640b3..a9e50ef103d801f65d12b9713c1c3b76940f7432 100644
--- a/dune/xt/la/container/container-interface.hh
+++ b/dune/xt/la/container/container-interface.hh
@@ -44,19 +44,15 @@ enum class Backends
 static constexpr Backends default_backend =
 #if HAVE_EIGEN
     Backends::eigen_sparse;
-#elif HAVE_DUNE_ISTL
-    Backends::istl_sparse;
 #else
-    Backends::common_sparse;
+    Backends::istl_sparse;
 #endif
 
 static constexpr Backends default_sparse_backend =
 #if HAVE_EIGEN
     Backends::eigen_sparse;
-#elif HAVE_DUNE_ISTL
-    Backends::istl_sparse;
 #else
-    Backends::common_sparse;
+    Backends::istl_sparse;
 #endif
 
 static constexpr Backends default_dense_backend =
diff --git a/dune/xt/la/container/istl.cc b/dune/xt/la/container/istl.cc
index 8dd43d3f4a3f78af50f3293717a8b86e7268ca61..6c4f032801046662ee27dd4d9bdd7a26e8eb1d1d 100644
--- a/dune/xt/la/container/istl.cc
+++ b/dune/xt/la/container/istl.cc
@@ -11,14 +11,8 @@
 
 #include <config.h>
 
-#if HAVE_DUNE_ISTL
-
 #include "istl.hh"
 
-
 template class Dune::XT::LA::IstlDenseVector<double>;
 template class Dune::XT::LA::IstlRowMajorSparseMatrix<double>;
 // template std::ostream& operator<<(std::ostream&, const Dune::XT::LA::IstlRowMajorSparseMatrix<double>&);
-
-
-#endif // HAVE_DUNE_ISTL
diff --git a/dune/xt/la/container/istl.hh b/dune/xt/la/container/istl.hh
index fb6cad543b919373078273eb359d2e3354af2ec5..f89382776e6fdb8da1e95c8ebf24928e44e598a6 100644
--- a/dune/xt/la/container/istl.hh
+++ b/dune/xt/la/container/istl.hh
@@ -25,10 +25,8 @@
 #include <dune/common/ftraits.hh>
 #include <dune/common/unused.hh>
 
-#if HAVE_DUNE_ISTL
 #include <dune/istl/bvector.hh>
 #include <dune/istl/bcrsmatrix.hh>
-#endif
 
 #include <dune/xt/common/float_cmp.hh>
 #include <dune/xt/common/math.hh>
@@ -47,8 +45,6 @@ class IstlDenseVector;
 template <class ScalarImp>
 class IstlRowMajorSparseMatrix;
 
-#if HAVE_DUNE_ISTL
-
 namespace internal {
 
 /**
@@ -813,26 +809,10 @@ std::ostream& operator<<(std::ostream& out, const IstlRowMajorSparseMatrix<S>& m
   return out;
 } // ... operator<<(...)
 
-#else // HAVE_DUNE_ISTL
-
-template <class ScalarImp>
-class IstlDenseVector
-{
-  static_assert(Dune::AlwaysFalse<ScalarImp>::value, "You are missing dune-istl!");
-};
-
-template <class ScalarImp>
-class IstlRowMajorSparseMatrix
-{
-  static_assert(Dune::AlwaysFalse<ScalarImp>::value, "You are missing dune-istl!");
-};
-
-#endif // HAVE_DUNE_ISTL
 
 } // namespace LA
 namespace Common {
 
-#if HAVE_DUNE_ISTL
 
 template <class T>
 struct VectorAbstraction<LA::IstlDenseVector<T>> : public LA::internal::VectorAbstractionBase<LA::IstlDenseVector<T>>
@@ -845,15 +825,13 @@ struct MatrixAbstraction<LA::IstlRowMajorSparseMatrix<T>>
 {
 };
 
-#endif // HAVE_DUNE_ISTL
-
 } // namespace Common
 } // namespace XT
 } // namespace Dune
 
 
 // begin: this is what we need for the lib
-#if DUNE_XT_WITH_PYTHON_BINDINGS && HAVE_DUNE_ISTL
+#if DUNE_XT_WITH_PYTHON_BINDINGS
 
 
 extern template class Dune::XT::LA::IstlDenseVector<double>;
@@ -861,7 +839,7 @@ extern template class Dune::XT::LA::IstlRowMajorSparseMatrix<double>;
 // extern template std::ostream& operator<<(std::ostream&, const Dune::XT::LA::IstlRowMajorSparseMatrix<double>&);
 
 
-#endif // DUNE_XT_WITH_PYTHON_BINDINGS && HAVE_DUNE_ISTL
+#endif // DUNE_XT_WITH_PYTHON_BINDINGS
 // end: this is what we need for the lib
 
 
diff --git a/dune/xt/la/eigen-solver/internal/numpy.hh b/dune/xt/la/eigen-solver/internal/numpy.hh
index 4bba4fe624f3f705f44d93fb97160cfd816b4cdf..cd3e67bf5bb3a9218aa23fa78b434712697922e0 100644
--- a/dune/xt/la/eigen-solver/internal/numpy.hh
+++ b/dune/xt/la/eigen-solver/internal/numpy.hh
@@ -15,9 +15,7 @@
 
 #include <dune/common/typetraits.hh>
 
-#if HAVE_DUNE_PYBINDXI
 #include <dune/pybindxi/interpreter.hh>
-#endif
 
 #include <dune/xt/common/vector.hh>
 #include <dune/xt/common/fmatrix.hh>
diff --git a/dune/xt/la/solver/istl.cc b/dune/xt/la/solver/istl.cc
index d6b0d4e8da86263601ec625ee3c851d7c2aee66a..dd8ee631e14f159237a6feb5b43aabfa82b959e1 100644
--- a/dune/xt/la/solver/istl.cc
+++ b/dune/xt/la/solver/istl.cc
@@ -11,12 +11,6 @@
 
 #include <config.h>
 
-#if HAVE_DUNE_ISTL
-
 #include "istl.hh"
 
-
 template class Dune::XT::LA::Solver<Dune::XT::LA::IstlRowMajorSparseMatrix<double>>;
-
-
-#endif // HAVE_DUNE_ISTL
diff --git a/dune/xt/la/solver/istl.hh b/dune/xt/la/solver/istl.hh
index 7bb1a31e4538353d3af16e7d6101f86d50e1c33d..66c7bef2b37ef98a8302dda3d3cfac0526845cd5 100644
--- a/dune/xt/la/solver/istl.hh
+++ b/dune/xt/la/solver/istl.hh
@@ -16,13 +16,11 @@
 #include <type_traits>
 #include <cmath>
 
-#if HAVE_DUNE_ISTL
 #include <dune/istl/operators.hh>
 #include <dune/istl/preconditioners.hh>
 #include <dune/istl/solvers.hh>
 #include <dune/istl/umfpack.hh>
 #include <dune/istl/superlu.hh>
-#endif // HAVE_DUNE_ISTL
 
 #include <dune/xt/common/exceptions.hh>
 #include <dune/xt/common/configuration.hh>
@@ -36,9 +34,6 @@
 namespace Dune {
 namespace XT {
 namespace LA {
-
-#if HAVE_DUNE_ISTL
-
 namespace internal {
 
 
@@ -325,30 +320,19 @@ private:
   const Common::ConstStorageProvider<CommunicatorType> communicator_;
 }; // class Solver
 
-
-#else // HAVE_DUNE_ISTL
-
-template <class S, class CommunicatorType>
-class Solver<IstlRowMajorSparseMatrix<S>, CommunicatorType>
-{
-  static_assert(Dune::AlwaysFalse<S>::value, "You are missing dune-istl!");
-};
-
-#endif // HAVE_DUNE_ISTL
-
 } // namespace LA
 } // namespace XT
 } // namespace Dune
 
 
 // begin: this is what we need for the lib
-#if DUNE_XT_WITH_PYTHON_BINDINGS && HAVE_DUNE_ISTL
+#if DUNE_XT_WITH_PYTHON_BINDINGS
 
 
 extern template class Dune::XT::LA::Solver<Dune::XT::LA::IstlRowMajorSparseMatrix<double>>;
 
 
-#endif // DUNE_XT_WITH_PYTHON_BINDINGS && HAVE_DUNE_ISTL
+#endif // DUNE_XT_WITH_PYTHON_BINDINGS
 // end: this is what we need for the lib
 
 
diff --git a/dune/xt/la/test/container.hh b/dune/xt/la/test/container.hh
index 18e021964804d227e5e5b0166a6e2eeacd29fe50..7c7fc39a345808e0396cd181c147fb3251879b3f 100644
--- a/dune/xt/la/test/container.hh
+++ b/dune/xt/la/test/container.hh
@@ -113,7 +113,6 @@ public:
 };
 
 
-#if HAVE_DUNE_ISTL
 template <class S>
 class ContainerFactory<Dune::XT::LA::IstlDenseVector<S>>
 {
@@ -139,7 +138,7 @@ public:
     return matrix;
   }
 };
-#endif // HAVE_DUNE_ISTL
+
 
 #if HAVE_EIGEN
 template <class S>