The cave of Altamira remain experimental visits to … – The País.com (Spain)

Inside the Cave of Altamira. / pedro a. saura

The Board of Trustees of the National Museum and Research Center of Altamira has decided extend the experimental visits to the cave until February 2015, some shortcuts that will remain in the current system, ie, one day a week a lottery among those attending the museum and five people enter will take place, accompanied by a guide, to this cavity considered the Sistine Chapel of Cave Art

This was announced the president of Cantabria, Ignacio Diego.; Secretary of State for Culture, José María Lasalle; and director of the research team, Gaël de Guichen, who has said that the experimental visits that have been developing since February this year have had a “minimal impact” on the cave that is in a “stable but fragile” state.

Guichen noted that for six months of experimental visits, it was found that the entry six visitors a day of the week Altamira has had “very little” condition, but has exalted to be further study to “complete” the data captured in the study prepared by the team of nearly 50 researchers working under his direction.

In this regard, the Preventive Conservation Plan runs until September 2017 and will continue being funded by the Ministry of Culture, a “commitment” shown Lasalle, which has supported this research that contribute to the “conservation” that is “one of the jewels of the cultural heritage of our planet.”

Meanwhile, the regional president expressed his “desire” that, based on this research and the finding of “minimal impact” in the cave “can be increasing the access regime” so we can ” socialize only “” this heritage “among citizens.

However, the Board has indicated that it has deployed a new meeting on February 28, 2015 to determine the arrangements for access to the cave of Altamira After the new six-month pilot visits was approved Friday.

The Board began with a minute of silence for Emilio Botin, which until now was its vice president and a person “very linked “to these caves declared World Heritage Site.

Lasalle took the floor once employers have taken their seats to express the” recognition “of this Board to Emilio Botin.

So, has indicated that Booty was a person “specifically bound” Altamira “family tradition”, and that the discovery of the caves of Altamira is attributed to his great-grandfather Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola.

After extolling the figure of Booty, Lasalle has said the “sympathy” of the Board of Altamira family corporation Booty and Banco Santander following the sudden death of Emilio Botin, at 79 years of age, after suffering a heart attack.

After uttering these words, has called on employers to put themselves in the foot for a minute of silence for the Cantabrian banker.

At the meeting were present, besides Lasalle, Diego De Guichen, the Minister of Education, Culture and Sports, Miguel Angel Serna; the director of the Museum of Altamira, José Antonio Lasheras; and the director of the Museum of Prehistory and Archaeology of Cantabria (MUPAC), Roberto Ontañón

The rector of the University of Cantabria (UC), José Carlos Gómez Sal.; the rector of the Universidad Internacional Menéndez Pelayo (Menéndez Pelayo International University), César NOMBELA; and the mayor of Santillana del Mar, Isidoro Rabago, among others, attended the meeting, which took place at the headquarters of the Museum in Santillana del Mar.