Ever since its discovery, Altamira Cave has been considered as special and fragile, and measures were soon taken to guarantee its preservation. In 1924, as a cause of the interest that King Alfonso XIII took in the cave, a Management Board was set up. This was the first committee to manage the cave, and can be considered as the forerunner of the present Trust. The first museum building was a house built in the typical local style where the objects found in the cave could be exhibited and conserved, and which was also the residence of the first warden.
As increasing numbers of visitors needed to be attended, in the 1960s three new pavilions were built next to the cave entrance.
In the 1970s, a series of reports warned about the dangers of altering the microclimate inside the cave, and the need to reduce the number of visitors. In 1973, 174,000 people visited the cave. The risk of serious damage taking place became evident, as the temperature inside the cave rose, with a proportional fall in the humidity and increase in microbiological pollution.
In 1977 the cave was closed to the general public.
In 1979, the Ministry of Culture formed Altamira National Museum and Research Centre as a scientific and administrative body to manage and conserve Altamira Cave.
In 1982, after detailed research work, the number of visitors that Altamira could take annually was fixed at a maximum of 8,500. In this way, the microclimate could be kept stable, and the group of paintings and engravings could be conserved. At that moment, it was proposed that a replica was needed, as an alternative to the original cave.
