The latter were intended to screen the battleships of the main fleet, scouting for enemy vessels and protecting them from torpedo boat attacks; they would also serve abroad on foreign stations.

The chief constructor, Josef Kuchinka, prepared the initial design based on specifications that had been issued by the naval command, and his proposal featured a top speed of 21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph) and a cruising range of 3,800 nautical miles (7,000 km; 4,400 mi) at a speed of 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph).

Since the speed of the new cruisers was the highest priority, the naval engineer Jakob Fassl held an evaluation in February to determine the best boiler to install in the vessels.

The navy ultimately settled on Yarrow boilers for the ships, since it saved 56 long tons (57 t) compared to the other types.

Because the ships were expected to serve overseas, the design staff originally planned to include a supplementary sailing rig with a surface area of 586 m2 (6,310 sq ft).

Several other navies similarly experimented with sheathing their steel cruiser hulls, but the practice failed to produce the desired results.

Her propulsion system consisted of a pair of triple-expansion steam engines each driving a screw propeller.