Arnold Schwarzenegger, one of Austria’s greatest celebrities has his own museum in the village where he was born. We had a look at the Terminators humble roots near Graz in Styria.
The Arnold Schwarzenegger Museum is located in the former childhood home of Arnold Schwarzenegger, where they have also preserved the kitchen and for some reason the toilet in its original state. The rest of the rooms are devoted to the bodybuilder, his film career and of course the years as Governor of California. You find the museum in the village of Thal, just 15 minutes by car from the Styrian capital Graz in south eastern Austria.
From childhood to governor
The museum is not large, only 200 m2, but it has filled it to the brim with objects from his childhood, his time as a bodybuilder, film actor and of course his time in public office as Governor of California. They even found room for the wardrobe with content from his time as a soldier in the Austrian army. Lifelike mannequins show Arnold Schwarzenegger in some of his film roles and as a bodybuilder. In addition, one of the “robots” in the Terminator films has got the job as an exhibit in the museum. Here you get the chance to stand face-to-face with a frightening Skynet robot. Perfect for some cool selfies.
Click on the images to enlarge >>
Small but interesting
The Arnold Schwarzenegger Museum may not reflect the size of the man’s many careers and it takes about an hour to look good at the museum and listen to the audio guide. Even for those who are not of his greatest fans, it may be interesting to see how to work out from insignificant existence in a small Austrian village, to Hollywood superstar and to govern California (US state with 38 million inhabitants and the world eighth largest economy).
Idyllic Thal
The former childhood home and the museum is located in a lovely valley just west of Graz in a small village called Thal. Arnold Schwarzenegger lived in this house, which was built in 1806 and originally was the house of Count Herberstein and Eggenberg’s park ranger, from his birth in 1947 to 1966. In the vicinity of the village there is a small lake, Thalersee, where you can wander on the “Arnold Schwarzenegger Wanderweg”. Chose between three routes of 3.5km, 9.5km or 13.5km respectively. There is a nice restaurant by the lake as well.
Also check out these links:
Arnold Schwarzenegger Museum
Graz Tourismus om Thal
Thal – Region Graz Tourismus
-
Any historical town with respect for itself should have a castle, and Feldkirch has the Schattenburg. Although there has been documented a settlement on-site for more than 2000 years, the “town” Feldkirch was built together with the castle in the early 13th century. We found the Schattenburg well worth the entrance fee and learned a […]
-
Most of the canyons and gorges in Austria are maintained by public or private conservation organisations, and you pay an entrance fee. This covers the maintenance and conservation projects in the area. Many of the canyons are suitable hikes for the whole family, and only a few are best hiked by seasoned hikers. We collected […]
-
Posted in:
The best viewing points in Vienna
The view of Vienna from above is something you simply must experience when visiting Austria’s capital. The mixture of historic and modern buildings gives the city a unique skyline. There are several opportunities to enjoy panoramic views of Vienna. We have visited some of Vienna’s best viewing points and are going to add more as […]
-
The small village of Heiligenbrunn in Burgenland is located in the transition between the rolling hills that characterize the south-eastern Austria and the vast plains that dominates western Hungary. Forests and vineyards dominate the landscape around Heiligenbrunn. Also the architectural traditions in this part of Austria differ greatly from the well known Tyrolean style houses […]