Her predecessor was the light cruiser Emden which served in the Reichsmarine of the Weimar Republic and later the Kriegsmarine of Nazi Germany during the Second World War.

The very diagonally cut bow and the knuckle ribs in the foredeck made it easy to navigate.

Due to the installation of gas turbines, large side air inlets were necessary, which could be closed by lamellas.

Behind the bridge superstructure stood the tall lattice mast with radar and other antennas.

Emden was laid down on 15 April 1958 and launched on 21 March 1959 at H. C. Stülcken Sohn in Hamburg, Germany.