The ships of the Bremen class served in a variety of roles throughout their careers.
Bremen and Leipzig served abroad from 1905 to 1914; the former returned to Germany shortly before the outbreak of World War I, and the latter remained with the East Asia Squadron.
Hamburg, Berlin, Lübeck, and Danzig served in the reconnaissance forces of the High Seas Fleet after they entered service.
München meanwhile was used as a torpedo test ship during her pre-war service.
All seven of the ships saw action during the First World War, though only Bremen and Leipzig was lost during the conflict.

Danzig was present during the Battle of Heligoland Bight in August 1914, but did not directly engage the British ships.
She did, however, rescue survivors from the sinking cruiser Ariadne.
Hamburg was present for the raid on Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby in December 1914, where she briefly encountered—but did not engage—British light forces.
Only one ship, München, saw action at the Battle of Jutland on 31 May and 1 June 1916, where she was hit by five medium-caliber shells and moderately damaged.
Three of the ships, Bremen, Lübeck, and Danzig, saw action against Imperial Russian forces in the Baltic Sea during the war, including during the assault on Libau and the Battle of the Gulf of Riga in 1915 and during Operation Albion in 1917.
Bremen struck Russian mines in December 1915 and sank with the majority of her crew going down with her.
Leipzig, still overseas at the start of the war, saw action at the Battles of Coronel and Falkland Islands in late 1914.
At the former, she engaged the British cruiser HMS Glasgow, and at the latter, was sunk by Glasgow and HMS Cornwall.

Berlin was withdrawn from service in 1916 and disarmed.
München was badly damaged by a British mine in October 1916, and thereafter decommissioned for use as a barracks ship.
Hamburg was also used as barracks ship later in the war, and Lübeck became a training ship in 1917.
Danzig was the last ship to leave active service, in late 1917.
Of the five surviving ships, Berlin and Hamburg were retained by the newly reorganized Reichsmarine as training ships.
The remaining three, Lübeck, München, and Danzig, were surrendered as war prizes to the United Kingdom, which sold them for scrapping in the early 1920s.
Hamburg and Berlin soldiered on as training cruisers into the late 1920s and early 1930s; by the mid-1930s, they had again been converted into floating barracks.
Hamburg was sunk by British bombers in 1944, and later raised and broken up for scrap in 1949.
Berlin survived World War II and was loaded with chemical weapons and scuttled in the Skaggerak after the war to dispose of the munitions.
The ships of the Bremen class served in a variety of roles throughout their careers. Bremen and Leipzig served abroad from 1905 to 1914; the former returned to Germany shortly before the outbreak of World War I, and the latter remained with the East Asia Squadron. Hamburg, Berlin, Lübeck, and Danzig served in the reconnaissance forces of the High Seas Fleet after they entered service. München meanwhile was used as a torpedo test ship during her pre-war service. All seven of the ships saw action during the First World War, though only Bremen and Leipzig was lost during the conflict.
Danzig was present during the Battle of Heligoland Bight in August 1914, but did not directly engage the British ships. She did, however, rescue survivors from the sinking cruiser Ariadne. Hamburg was present for the raid on Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby in December 1914, where she briefly encountered—but did not engage—British light forces. Only one ship, München, saw action at the Battle of Jutland on 31 May and 1 June 1916, where she was hit by five medium-caliber shells and moderately damaged. Three of the ships, Bremen, Lübeck, and Danzig, saw action against Imperial Russian forces in the Baltic Sea during the war, including during the assault on Libau and the Battle of the Gulf of Riga in 1915 and during Operation Albion in 1917. Bremen struck Russian mines in December 1915 and sank with the majority of her crew going down with her. Leipzig, still overseas at the start of the war, saw action at the Battles of Coronel and Falkland Islands in late 1914. At the former, she engaged the British cruiser HMS Glasgow, and at the latter, was sunk by Glasgow and HMS Cornwall.
Berlin was withdrawn from service in 1916 and disarmed. München was badly damaged by a British mine in October 1916, and thereafter decommissioned for use as a barracks ship. Hamburg was also used as barracks ship later in the war, and Lübeck became a training ship in 1917. Danzig was the last ship to leave active service, in late 1917. Of the five surviving ships, Berlin and Hamburg were retained by the newly reorganized Reichsmarine as training ships. The remaining three, Lübeck, München, and Danzig, were surrendered as war prizes to the United Kingdom, which sold them for scrapping in the early 1920s. Hamburg and Berlin soldiered on as training cruisers into the late 1920s and early 1930s; by the mid-1930s, they had again been converted into floating barracks. Hamburg was sunk by British bombers in 1944, and later raised and broken up for scrap in 1949. Berlin survived World War II and was loaded with chemical weapons and scuttled in the Skaggerak after the war to dispose of the munitions.
Bremen-class cruiser