Relegated Kaisersalutern were hammered by champions Borussia Dortmund, while Hertha Berlin and Cologne also suffered defeat.
Bottom three all lose in fight for top-flight survival
Relegated Kaisersalutern were hammered by Bundesliga champions Borussia Dortmund, while Hertha Berlin and Cologne also suffered defeat.
Bayern Munich followed up reaching the UEFA Champions League final with a home win, while there were also victories for Bayer Leverkusen, Nurnberg and Wolfsburg.
Lucas Barrios fired a hat-trick as recently-crowned champions
Dortmund enjoyed a thumping 5-2 success at bottom club
Kaiserslautern.
The hosts were gifted the lead through Felipe Santana's own goal on 16 minutes, but Barrios levelled two minutes later and then put Dortmund ahead on 26 minutes.
Mario Gotze increased the lead on 33 minutes and Robert Lewandowski hit the post before Kaiserslautern pulled a goal back just after half-time through Pierre de Wit.
However, Barrios completed his hat-trick on 55 minutes and Ivan Perisic completed the scoring on 76 minutes after he had struck the woodwork.
Mario Gomez returned to haunt his former club
Stuttgart by opening the scoring in
Bayern's 2-0 triumph at the Allianz Arena.
The Germany international striker netted just past the half-hour mark and Thomas Muller made certain of the points in stoppage-time.
Hertha Berlin remain second bottom in the table after suffering a 4-0 mauling at
Schalke, with Klaas-Jan Huntelaar scoring twice.
Dutch marksman Huntelaar broke the deadlock on 32 minutes and then hit the post five minutes later before Lewis Holtby scored the second on 73 minutes.
Spanish veteran Raul added the next on 84 minutes and Huntelaar rounded off the scoring with the fourth goal two minutes from time.
Cologne also conceded four goals away from home to stay third from bottom after a 4-1 drubbing by
Freiburg.
Mensur Mujdza gave Freiburg a half-time lead, only for Arsenal target Lukas Podolski to level things up two minutes after half-time.
However, Karim Guede restored the lead on 54 minutes and late goals from Daniel Caligiuri and Sebastian Freis put the result beyond doubt.
Borussia Monchengladbach inched a step closer to a Champions League spot after a 0-0 draw at home with
Augsburg.
Stefan Kiessling scored a 75th minute winner as
Bayer Leverkusen climbed into fifth position after a 1-0 home win over
Hannover.
Tomas Pekhart scored a goal in each half as
Nurnberg hung on to record a 3-2 win at
Hoffenheim to move above their opponents in the table.
Pekhart scored after just nine minutes and, after Andreas Beck had levelled on 22 minutes, Daniel Didavi put Nurnberg back in front at the end of the first half.
Pekhart struck again on 71 minutes and a fourth almost arrived through Albert Bunjaku, who hit the post, before Edson Braafheid scored a late consolation for Hoffenheim moments after coming on as a substitute.
Patrick Helmes helped himself to a second-half brace as
Wolfsburg claimed a 3-1 home triumph over
Werder Bremen.
Hasan Salihamidzic's 40th minute goal for Wolfsburg was cancelled in first-half stoppage-time by Markus Rosenberg before Helmes netted on 66 and 89 minutes.
Hamburg moved a point further away from the relegation places after a 0-0 draw at home with
Mainz.
