In this article the author argues that Route of Don Quixote is a mnemotope, which allows to examine the relations betwen landscape, literary trails and collective memory. The author suggests that the Mancha’s landscape can be considered as the first in the history of Western culture and this fact should be connected with the values of the Spanish community.
Noticing that the Route of Don Quixote is the mnemotope clarifies why it was the first European Cultural Itinerary constructed on a literary figure, explains the political usage of the figure of Don Quixote, the reasons for passionate discussions on how to commemorate cervantine anniversaries or dispute about the true knight-errant wandering route. The author explores some of the contemporary cervantine place of memory (the date of III and IV Centenary of the edition of the first part of the novel, the famous Azorín’s journey, Quixotic street names, „true” novelistic places, landscape with windmills).
The author characterizes various communities of memory (exiliados, readers, cervantists),that used the figure of Quixote. The author asks whether traveling in search of the knight’s footsteps is drifting the physical space or rather an imitation of his actions. From the perspective of memory research there are multiple routes of Don Quixote, because in different communities are cultivated different memories of true knight’s route. Using the Halbwachs’ concept the author shows the importance of location of Don Quixote’s adventures. Pondering the meaning of „death of cervantine landscape” the author concludes that the literary vision of The Mancha, „holy landscape” in which the community reaffirms its value, still exists.