Nürnberg was laid down in 1934 at the Deutsche Werke shipyard in Kiel.
She was launched on 6 December 1934 and completed in less than a year, being commissioned on 2 November 1935.
The ship thereafter worked up in the Baltic Sea until April 1936, when she joined Köln and Leipzig for a training cruise into the Atlantic.
At this time, she was made the flagship of the reconnaissance forces of the German Navy.
The three cruisers then returned to the Baltic for additional maneuvers.
Nürnberg participated the non-intervention patrols during the Spanish Civil War of 1936–39.
On her initial deployment in 1936, she flew the flag of Konteradmiral Hermann Boehm.
Over the course of the conflict, Nürnberg conducted four patrols off Spain, but did not encounter any belligerent forces, with the exception of a claimed attack by an unidentified submarine south of the Balearic Islands on 16 July 1937.

In September 1937, Nürnberg took part in fleet maneuvers with the heavy cruisers Admiral Graf Spee and Deutschland, the light cruisers Leipzig and Karlsruhe, and several destroyers.
The first three months of 1938 were spent in the Baltic, after which Nürnberg went into dock for a periodic refit.
In June, she went on a training cruise to Norway and returned to Germany the following month.
In August, she was present at the fleet review held in Kiel for Adolf Hitler and the visiting regent of Hungary, Miklós Horthy.
Nürnberg joined the fleet that was sent to Memel in March 1939 to seize the region.
After completing the occupation, Nürnberg joined Admiral Graf Spee, Leipzig, and Köln for a training cruise to the Mediterranean Sea, which included several stops in Spanish ports.
After returning to Germany in May, she resumed training in the Baltic.
Nürnberg was laid down in 1934 at the Deutsche Werke shipyard in Kiel. She was launched on 6 December 1934 and completed in less than a year, being commissioned on 2 November 1935. The ship thereafter worked up in the Baltic Sea until April 1936, when she joined Köln and Leipzig for a training cruise into the Atlantic. At this time, she was made the flagship of the reconnaissance forces of the German Navy. The three cruisers then returned to the Baltic for additional maneuvers. Nürnberg participated the non-intervention patrols during the Spanish Civil War of 1936–39. On her initial deployment in 1936, she flew the flag of Konteradmiral Hermann Boehm. Over the course of the conflict, Nürnberg conducted four patrols off Spain, but did not encounter any belligerent forces, with the exception of a claimed attack by an unidentified submarine south of the Balearic Islands on 16 July 1937.
In September 1937, Nürnberg took part in fleet maneuvers with the heavy cruisers Admiral Graf Spee and Deutschland, the light cruisers Leipzig and Karlsruhe, and several destroyers. The first three months of 1938 were spent in the Baltic, after which Nürnberg went into dock for a periodic refit. In June, she went on a training cruise to Norway and returned to Germany the following month. In August, she was present at the fleet review held in Kiel for Adolf Hitler and the visiting regent of Hungary, Miklós Horthy. Nürnberg joined the fleet that was sent to Memel in March 1939 to seize the region. After completing the occupation, Nürnberg joined Admiral Graf Spee, Leipzig, and Köln for a training cruise to the Mediterranean Sea, which included several stops in Spanish ports. After returning to Germany in May, she resumed training in the Baltic.
German cruiser Nürnberg