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This chapter is about hospitals (institutions for the treatment of the bodily sick) in the Nordic countries, with special focus on urban and regional authorities. The two leading capitals of Scandinavia have for long been Copenhagen and Stockholm, and modern hospitals were established in both cities in the 1750s. In Denmark including Norway, provincial hospitals grew in number but remained small and were mostly locally funded well into the 19th or sometimes even the 20th century. In Sweden including Finland, provincial hospitals were situated in regional capitals. These had the capacity to grow when medical efficiency increased in the 1870s. After 1945, in all countries, a select number of hospitals developed into larger teaching hospitals with specialist medicine and surgery as well as research faculties. Hospitals helped establish the role of cities as regional capitals. Recently, the borders of hospital regions have been more prone to change in Denmark and in Norway. Also the importance of general practitioners (more common in Denmark) and the professional leadership of collegia medica are discussed.