diff --git a/docs/doxygen/overviews/xrc_format.h b/docs/doxygen/overviews/xrc_format.h
index a23fba23d1..448c32c304 100644
--- a/docs/doxygen/overviews/xrc_format.h
+++ b/docs/doxygen/overviews/xrc_format.h
@@ -341,8 +341,8 @@ or translations are done.
 @subsection overview_xrcformat_type_bitmap Bitmap
 
 Bitmap properties contain specification of a single bitmap or icon. In the most
-basic form, their text value is simply a relative filename (or another
-wxFileSystem URL) of the bitmap to use. For example:
+basic form, their text value is simply a relative URL of the bitmap to use.
+For example:
 @code
 <object class="tool" name="wxID_NEW">
     <tooltip>New</tooltip>
@@ -350,7 +350,15 @@ wxFileSystem URL) of the bitmap to use. For example:
 </object>
 @endcode
 The value is interpreted as path relative to the location of XRC file where the
-reference occurs.
+reference occurs, but notice that it is still an URL and not just a filename,
+which means that the characters special in the URLs, such as @c '#' must be
+percent-encoded, e.g. here is the correct way to specify a bitmap with the path
+@c "images/#1/tool.png" in XRC:
+@code
+<object class="tool" name="first">
+    <bitmap>images/%231/tool.png</bitmap>
+</object>
+@endcode
 
 Bitmap file paths can include environment variables that are expanded if
 wxXRC_USE_ENVVARS was passed to the wxXmlResource constructor.
diff --git a/tests/xml/xrctest.cpp b/tests/xml/xrctest.cpp
index 196bd1637a..d5a0ee0514 100644
--- a/tests/xml/xrctest.cpp
+++ b/tests/xml/xrctest.cpp
@@ -20,14 +20,18 @@
 #if wxUSE_XRC
 
 #include "wx/fs_inet.h"
+#include "wx/imagxpm.h"
 #include "wx/xml/xml.h"
 #include "wx/scopedptr.h"
 #include "wx/sstream.h"
 #include "wx/wfstream.h"
 #include "wx/xrc/xmlres.h"
+#include "wx/xrc/xh_bmp.h"
 
 #include <stdarg.h>
 
+#include "testfile.h"
+
 // ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 // helpers to create/save some xrc
 // ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -209,15 +213,48 @@ TEST_CASE_METHOD(XrcTestCase, "XRC::IDRanges", "[xrc]")
 
 TEST_CASE("XRC::PathWithFragment", "[xrc][uri]")
 {
+    wxXmlResource::Get()->AddHandler(new wxBitmapXmlHandler);
+    wxImage::AddHandler(new wxXPMHandler);
+
+    const wxString filename = "image#1.xpm";
+    TempFile xpmFile(filename);
+
+    // Simplest possible XPM, just to have something to create a bitmap from.
+    static const char* xpm =
+        "/* XPM */\n"
+        "static const char *const xpm[] = {\n"
+        "/* columns rows colors chars-per-pixel */\n"
+        "\"1 1 1 1\",\n"
+        "\"  c None\",\n"
+        "/* pixels */\n"
+        "\" \"\n"
+        ;
+
+    wxFFile ff;
+    REQUIRE( ff.Open(filename, "w") );
+    REQUIRE( ff.Write(wxString::FromAscii(xpm)) );
+    REQUIRE( ff.Close() );
+
+    // Opening a percent-encoded URI should work.
+    wxString url = filename;
+    url.Replace("#", "%23");
+
     LoadXrcFrom
     (
-        "<?xml version=\"1.0\" ?>"
-        "<resource>"
-        "  <object class=\"wxBitmap\" name=\"bitmap\">bitmap#1.png</object>"
-        "</resource>"
+        wxString::Format
+        (
+            "<?xml version=\"1.0\" ?>"
+            "<resource>"
+            "  <object class=\"wxBitmap\" name=\"bad\">%s</object>"
+            "  <object class=\"wxBitmap\" name=\"good\">%s</object>"
+            "</resource>",
+            filename,
+            url
+        )
     );
 
-    CHECK( wxXmlResource::Get()->LoadBitmap("bitmap").IsOk() );
+    CHECK( wxXmlResource::Get()->LoadBitmap("good").IsOk() );
+    CHECK( !wxXmlResource::Get()->LoadBitmap("bad").IsOk() );
 }
 
 // This test is disabled by default as it requires the environment variable