 The Leipzig class was a class of two light cruisers of the German Reichsmarine and later Kriegsmarine ; the class comprised Leipzig , the lead ship , and Nürnberg , which was built to a slightly modified design . The ships were improvements over the preceding Königsberg @-@ class cruisers , being slightly larger , with a more efficient arrangement of the main battery and improved armor protection . Leipzig was built between 1928 and 1931 , and Nürnberg followed between 1934 and 1935 . 
