Context. Spectropolarimetry at high spatial and spectral resolution is a basic tool to characterize the magnetic properties of the solar atmosphere. Aims: We introduce the KIS/IAA Visible Imaging Polarimeter (VIP), a new post-focus instrument that upgrades the TESOS spectrometer at the German Vacuum Tower Telescope (VTT) into a full vector polarimeter. VIP is a collaboration between the Kiepenheuer Institut für Sonnenphysik (KIS) and the Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (IAA-CSIC). Methods: We describe the optical setup of VIP, the data acquisition procedure, and the calibration of the spectropolarimetric measurements. We show examples of data taken between 2005 and 2008 to illustrate the potential of the instrument. Results: VIP is capable of measuring the four Stokes profiles of spectral lines in the range from 420 to 700 nm with a spatial resolution better than 0farcs5. Lines can be sampled at 40 wavelength positions in 60 s, achieving a noise level of about 2 × 10-3 with exposure times of 300 ms and pixel sizes of 0farcs17 × 0farcs17 (2 × 2 binning). The polarization modulation is stable over periods of a few days, ensuring high polarimetric accuracy. The excellent spectral resolution of TESOS allows the use of sophisticated data analysis techniques such as Stokes inversions. One of the first scientific results of VIP presented here is that the ribbon-like magnetic structures of the network are associated with a distinct pattern of net circular polarization away from disk center. Conclusions: VIP performs spectropolarimetric measurements of solar magnetic fields at a spatial resolution that is only slightly worse than that of the Hinode spectropolarimeter, while providing a 2D field field of view and the possibility to observe up to four spectral regions sequentially with high cadence. VIP can be used as a stand-alone instrument or in combination with other spectropolarimeters and imaging systems of the VTT for extended wavelength coverage.