In the imperial navy, cruisers with a displacement of less than 5500 tons were referred to as "small cruisers" from the end of the 19th century. They were used as reconnaissance ships for the fleet, guide ships for torpedo boat destroyers, as foreign cruisers and in the trade war. A total of 49 small cruisers were completed in 15 different classes. The small cruisers "Wiesbaden" and "Frankfurt" were built in a separate Wiesbaden class from 1912. Both were commissioned in 1915.

During the largest naval battle of the First World War in the Skagerrak, the "Wiesbaden" was sunk by the British Grand Fleet. The only survivor, chief stoker Hugo Zenne, signed the city's Golden Book on the occasion of the commemoration of the battle on June 1 and 2, 1935.

The "Frankfurt" was handed over to the victorious powers at the end of the First World War and sunk in 1921 as a target in tests with aerial bombs.