Spain possesses an immense artistic, bibliographic and documental heritage which holds the key to collective national life. It is the third country in the world in terms of the number of monuments declared to have world historical value. The preservation of this historic treasure required that measures be taken to fight against its traditional appropiation and deterioration which have deprived Spaniards of a part of their cultural wealth. The Law of Spanish Historical Patrimony is an endeavour to correct this situation.