Rot-Weiss Essen were crowned champions for the first time after a group stage and a final.
It was also the fourth time Kaiserlautern had reached the final in five years, following their championship wins in 1951 and 1953, and their defeat in 1954.
The format used to determine the German champions was different from that which was used in the 1954 season.
The remaining eight teams were split into two groups of four, and played two rounds of matches with games played home and away.
The two group winners then played the national final.