Schwarzenegger Museum

On a crisp October day in 2009, my husband and I set out on a journey to search for clues to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s dreams of success while he was growing up in Thal, Austria. We were lucky enough to meet the woman who had been living in the big, yellow house where Arnold had lived earlier until he was eighteen. When I asked Frau Anderwalt where we could find Arnold’s childhood school, she pointed northward across a green field to a large building with a red-tiled roof. She said that next to the school we would find not only the church Arnold’s family had attended, but an Arnold Schwarzenegger museum!

As my husband Charles drove down the country road past horse pastures and cottages toward the red-roofed school and dark blue church spire, I could hardly wait to see the school and church that had been instrumental in young Arnold’s life, as well as a museum displaying his milestones and achievements. Here are photos we took to share with TheArnoldFans.

Arnold attended the Hans Gross Volksschule through the eighth grade. After that he went to school in the nearby city of Graz.

Arnold’s primary school was in the same building that housed his father’s police station.

Arnold’s face can be seen at the top of a huge poster attached to the primary school he attended.

The church attended by Arnold’s family, Pfarrkirche St. Jakob, has been restored and looks much different from when he went there. Arnold’s family attended services at this Roman Catholic church every Sunday.

Welcome to the Arnold Schwarzenegger Ausstellung (Museum) in Thal, Austria!

A placard in the museum explains that Arnold used this weightlifting equipment at the gym in Graz.

The walls of the Arnold Schwarzenegger Museum are covered with his photos, newspaper articles, mementos and awards.

The video on the right runs continuously and tells Arnold’s amazing life story.

Arnold’s success in movies is recognized on posters and photos in the museum.

Here is the Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, with his wife and First Lady, Maria Shriver.

No Arnold collection would be complete without a box of cigars.

Various monuments to Arnold’s successful life are displayed throughout Thal.

In the Arnold Schwarzenegger Museum, I bought souvenir pins, postcards and stickers. I also wrote a message in the guestbook saying I was pleased to represent TheArnoldFans. A sign above the guestbook said that all messages would be forwarded to Arnold.

To come: Photos of the gym where Arnold trained to become Mr. Universe – the Athletik Union in Graz, Austria.