The Braunschweig-class battleships were pre-dreadnought battleships of the Kaiserliche Marine (the German Imperial Navy). The class comprised five ships: Braunschweig, Elsass, Hessen, Preussen, and Lothringen. The ships were an improvement over the preceding Wittelsbach class; the ships mounted a more powerful main battery, were two knots faster, and had better armor protection.