diff --git a/src/domain/LoginViewModel.js b/src/domain/LoginViewModel.js
index c0bea189..1b52e1a5 100644
--- a/src/domain/LoginViewModel.js
+++ b/src/domain/LoginViewModel.js
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ export class LoginViewModel extends ViewModel {
         if (this._loadViewModel) {
             this._loadViewModel = this.disposeTracked(this._loadViewModel);
         }
-        this._loadViewModel = this.track(new SessionLoadViewModel({
+        this._loadViewModel = this.track(new SessionLoadViewModel(this.childOptions({
             createAndStartSessionContainer: () => {
                 this._sessionContainer = this._createSessionContainer();
                 this._sessionContainer.startWithLogin(homeserver, username, password);
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ export class LoginViewModel extends ViewModel {
                 this._ready(sessionContainer);
             },
             homeserver,
-        }));
+        })));
         this._loadViewModel.start();
         this.emitChange("loadViewModel");
         this._loadViewModelSubscription = this.track(this._loadViewModel.disposableOn("change", () => {
diff --git a/src/domain/RootViewModel.js b/src/domain/RootViewModel.js
index f6e566e3..fca8d779 100644
--- a/src/domain/RootViewModel.js
+++ b/src/domain/RootViewModel.js
@@ -35,10 +35,10 @@ export class RootViewModel extends ViewModel {
     async load() {
         this.track(this.navigation.observe("login").subscribe(() => this._applyNavigation()));
         this.track(this.navigation.observe("session").subscribe(() => this._applyNavigation()));
-        this._applyNavigation(this.urlCreator.getLastUrl());
+        this._applyNavigation(true);
     }
 
-    async _applyNavigation(restoreUrlIfAtDefault) {
+    async _applyNavigation(shouldRestoreLastUrl) {
         const isLogin = this.navigation.observe("login").get();
         const sessionId = this.navigation.observe("session").get();
         if (isLogin) {
@@ -67,9 +67,7 @@ export class RootViewModel extends ViewModel {
             }
         } else {
             try {
-                if (restoreUrlIfAtDefault) {
-                    this.urlCreator.pushUrl(restoreUrlIfAtDefault);
-                } else {
+                if (!(shouldRestoreLastUrl && this.urlCreator.tryRestoreLastUrl())) {
                     const sessionInfos = await this.platform.sessionInfoStorage.getAll();
                     if (sessionInfos.length === 0) {
                         this.navigation.push("login");
@@ -126,14 +124,14 @@ export class RootViewModel extends ViewModel {
 
     _showSessionLoader(sessionId) {
         this._setSection(() => {
-            this._sessionLoadViewModel = new SessionLoadViewModel({
+            this._sessionLoadViewModel = new SessionLoadViewModel(this.childOptions({
                 createAndStartSessionContainer: () => {
                     const sessionContainer = this._createSessionContainer();
                     sessionContainer.startWithExistingSession(sessionId);
                     return sessionContainer;
                 },
                 ready: sessionContainer => this._showSession(sessionContainer)
-            });
+            }));
             this._sessionLoadViewModel.start();
         });
     }
diff --git a/src/domain/SessionLoadViewModel.js b/src/domain/SessionLoadViewModel.js
index d8736077..0b785e47 100644
--- a/src/domain/SessionLoadViewModel.js
+++ b/src/domain/SessionLoadViewModel.js
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ export class SessionLoadViewModel extends ViewModel {
         this._deleteSessionOnCancel = deleteSessionOnCancel;
         this._loading = false;
         this._error = null;
+        this.backUrl = this.urlCreator.urlForSegment("session", true);
     }
 
     async start() {
diff --git a/src/domain/navigation/URLRouter.js b/src/domain/navigation/URLRouter.js
index 36a1c244..b38791a0 100644
--- a/src/domain/navigation/URLRouter.js
+++ b/src/domain/navigation/URLRouter.js
@@ -23,12 +23,24 @@ export class URLRouter {
         this._subscription = null;
         this._pathSubscription = null;
         this._isApplyingUrl = false;
+        this._defaultSessionId = this._getLastSessionId();
+    }
+
+    _getLastSessionId() {
+        const navPath = this._urlAsNavPath(this._history.getLastUrl() || "");
+        const sessionId = navPath.get("session")?.value;
+        if (typeof sessionId === "string") {
+            return sessionId;
+        }
+        return null;
     }
 
     attach() {
         this._subscription = this._history.subscribe(url => this._applyUrl(url));
+        // subscribe to path before applying initial url
+        // so redirects in _applyNavPathToHistory are reflected in url bar
+        this._pathSubscription = this._navigation.pathObservable.subscribe(path => this._applyNavPathToHistory(path));
         this._applyUrl(this._history.get());
-        this._pathSubscription = this._navigation.pathObservable.subscribe(path => this._applyNavigationPath(path));
     }
 
     dispose() {
@@ -36,7 +48,7 @@ export class URLRouter {
         this._pathSubscription = this._pathSubscription();
     }
 
-    _applyNavigationPath(path) {
+    _applyNavPathToHistory(path) {
         const url = this.urlForPath(path);
         if (url !== this._history.get()) {
             if (this._isApplyingUrl) {
@@ -48,10 +60,8 @@ export class URLRouter {
         }
     }
 
-    _applyUrl(url) {    
-        const urlPath = this._history.urlAsPath(url)
-        const navPath = this._navigation.pathFrom(this._parseUrlPath(urlPath, this._navigation.path));
-        // this will cause _applyNavigationPath to be called,
+    _applyNavPathToNavigation(navPath) {
+        // this will cause _applyNavPathToHistory to be called,
         // so set a flag whether this request came from ourselves
         // (in which case it is a redirect if the url does not match the current one)
         this._isApplyingUrl = true;
@@ -59,12 +69,27 @@ export class URLRouter {
         this._isApplyingUrl = false;
     }
 
+    _urlAsNavPath(url) {
+        const urlPath = this._history.urlAsPath(url);
+        return this._navigation.pathFrom(this._parseUrlPath(urlPath, this._navigation.path, this._defaultSessionId));
+    }
+
+    _applyUrl(url) {
+        const navPath = this._urlAsNavPath(url);
+        this._applyNavPathToNavigation(navPath);
+    }
+
     pushUrl(url) {
         this._history.pushUrl(url);
     }
 
-    getLastUrl() {
-        return this._history.getLastUrl();
+    tryRestoreLastUrl() {
+        const lastNavPath = this._urlAsNavPath(this._history.getLastUrl() || "");
+        if (lastNavPath.segments.length !== 0) {
+            this._applyNavPathToNavigation(navPath);
+            return true;
+        }
+        return false;
     }
 
     urlForSegments(segments) {
diff --git a/src/domain/navigation/index.js b/src/domain/navigation/index.js
index 5de73aef..3a9b4a07 100644
--- a/src/domain/navigation/index.js
+++ b/src/domain/navigation/index.js
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ function roomsSegmentWithRoom(rooms, roomId, path) {
     }
 }
 
-export function parseUrlPath(urlPath, currentNavPath) {
+export function parseUrlPath(urlPath, currentNavPath, defaultSessionId) {
     // substr(1) to take of initial /
     const parts = urlPath.substr(1).split("/");
     const iterator = parts[Symbol.iterator]();
@@ -113,6 +113,14 @@ export function parseUrlPath(urlPath, currentNavPath) {
                 segments.push(roomsSegmentWithRoom(rooms, roomId, currentNavPath));
             }
             segments.push(new Segment("room", roomId));
+        } else if (type === "last-session") {
+            let sessionSegment = currentNavPath.get("session");
+            if (typeof sessionSegment?.value !== "string" && defaultSessionId) {
+                sessionSegment = new Segment("session", defaultSessionId);
+            }
+            if (sessionSegment) {
+                segments.push(sessionSegment);
+            }
         } else {
             // might be undefined, which will be turned into true by Segment 
             const value = iterator.next().value;
diff --git a/src/platform/web/ui/css/themes/element/theme.css b/src/platform/web/ui/css/themes/element/theme.css
index 706bd90d..c6c18445 100644
--- a/src/platform/web/ui/css/themes/element/theme.css
+++ b/src/platform/web/ui/css/themes/element/theme.css
@@ -215,6 +215,10 @@ a.button-action {
     text-align: center;
 }
 
+.SessionLoadView {
+    padding-top: 16px;
+}
+
 @media screen and (min-width: 600px) {
     .PreSessionScreen {
         box-shadow: 0px 6px 32px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1);
diff --git a/src/platform/web/ui/login/SessionLoadView.js b/src/platform/web/ui/login/SessionLoadView.js
index 30489335..6837cf21 100644
--- a/src/platform/web/ui/login/SessionLoadView.js
+++ b/src/platform/web/ui/login/SessionLoadView.js
@@ -22,9 +22,10 @@ export class SessionLoadView extends TemplateView {
         return t.div({className: "PreSessionScreen"}, [
             t.div({className: "logo"}),
             t.div({className: "SessionLoadView"}, [
-                t.h1(vm.i18n`Loading…`),
                 t.view(new SessionLoadStatusView(vm))
-            ])
+            ]),
+            t.div({className: {"button-row": true, hidden: vm => vm.loading}},
+                t.a({className: "button-action primary", href: vm.backUrl}, vm.i18n`Go back`))
         ]);
     }
 }