I stumbled upon this yesterday. If an external class needs to be referenced in a XAML file, a namespace must be mapped for it, so the compiler knows where to find that class. For example, I had a DataTemplate for a specific type in my file:
<DataTemplate DataType="{x:Type arbitraryName:Klasse}">
<StackPanel Orientation="Horizontal">
<TextBlock Text="{Binding Path=Name}" />
<TextBlock Text=", Jahrgang " />
<TextBlock Text="{Binding Path=Anfangsjahr}" />
</StackPanel>
</Da ...