There are few people in this world who have accomplished the amazing feats that Arnold Schwarzenegger has. The man epitomizes the American Dream and is a role model for all. His story shows that hard work and mental toughness can lead to incredible achievements.
Arnold’s vision and commitment to his crafts led him to 3 wildly successful careers in 3 extremely difficult fields. The international icon’s childhood home has become The Arnold Schwarzenegger Museum.
Arnold had big dreams as a young boy growing up in the small southern Austrian village of Thal, on the outskirts of Graz. Many people doubted his dream of moving to America. Even more doubted he’d become the most decorated body-builder in the world. Add in becoming not just an actor, but an American & International movie star? Forget about it.
But Arnold persevered, proving the naysayers wrong, but more importantly, he proved to himself that he can do anything he set his mind to.
Who is Arnold Schwarzenegger?
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know who Arnold Schwarzenegger is. But the reason why you know him may vary from person to person.
Perhaps you know him as the most accomplished bodybuilder of all time, known as “The Austrian Oak.” Arnold is a 5 time winner of Mr. Universe and 7 time winner of Mr. Olympia. He continues to weight train to this day, maintaining tremendous physical fitness at the age of almost 76 years old.
Most will probably know him as The Terminator, or any one of his other box office smashing roles throughout his Hollywood career.
Or maybe you know him as a hard working politician. The governor of California who introduced many measures to help protect the environment during his two term tenure.
But before you knew him in any of the aforementioned capacities, he was just a boy from a small village, where dreams were just fantasies. Growing up, Arnold always wanted to escape the expectations of conforming to the Austrian way of life. He viewed bodybuilding as his ticket to America where he dreamed of becoming rich and being a star.
🌎 BROS TIP: We highly recommend the 3 part Netflix Docuseries “Arnold” to really appreciate Austrian born A-lister Arnold Schwarzenegger and his inspirational journey.
Arnold Schwarzenegger had plenty of obstacles in his way and chances to abandon his aspirations, but he refused to give up. After moving to America on the heels of his Mr. Universe titles, he learned to speak English and went to college, graduating with a business degree 3 years before becoming a naturalized US Citizen.
He embraced America and America embraced him back. He once stated that America was special because it was a place you could move to, yes, but you could actually become an American. You can move to Turkey, but you’ll never be Turkish. You can move to Japan, but you’ll never be Japanese. America represented more than just a country to Arnold, it was an idea unique in this world where he could see his dreams come true.
How to Get to The Arnold Schwarzenegger Museum
The easiest way to get to The Arnold Schwarzenegger Museum is via Uber or taxi from the city of Graz. It’s roughly a 20 minute drive from the city center to the small village of Thal, and should set you back about $20 USD each way. Grab some friends who want to experience the museum with you and split the cost!
What to Expect
The museum is the actual childhood home of the legend himself. Entry is 11.90 euros for adults ($13 USD) and 6.90 euros for children ($7.50 USD). The museum is open from March to October, Monday to Sunday, 10am–6pm, last admission 5:30 pm. From November to February, it is open Monday to Sunday, 10am–5pm, last admission 4:30 pm (Dec 24 & Dec 31, 10am–2pm, last admission 1:30pm).
Each room has been dedicated to a different part of the icon’s storied career. You will see his boyhood bedroom with his bed and inspirational photos of his bodybuilding and acting idols on the wall. Arnie’s childhood and adolescent life are documented through various exhibits and displays.
There is a room filled with many of his bodybuilding trophies, photos and actual barbells, dumbbells and equipment he used back in the 1960s. Naturally, another room is dedicated to his political career with many artifacts, photos and articles with information for you to learn about Arnold’s years in the US political spectrum.
And of course, there are a couple of rooms showcasing his incredible career as an international movie star, with original pieces from his movie sets, life sized models of the Terminator, and the original sword from Conan the Barbarian, to name a few.
You’ll also see where Arnold ate in the kitchen with his family and where he relieved himself in a toilet that makes it brutally obvious why he dreamt of coming to America, at the very least to have a comfortable commode to take a shit. Seriously, that wooden bench looked pretty unforgiving.
Afterwards, you can check out his backyard and relax in his peaceful, serene garden, and then take a walk down to the beautiful lake “Thalersee” where Arnold and his brother would swim as kids.
Is The Arnold Schwarzenegger Museum Worth Visiting?
Absolutely YES! The man’s life is a remarkable story. Being in the perspective of Arnold’s little corner of the world where he grew up, you can really begin to imagine how big his dreams really were, and how impressive his life path has truly been.
There is plenty to learn through visiting the Arnold Schwarzenegger Museum. It’s the only museum worldwide that bears his name and is supported by Arnold himself. He still frequents his hometown from time to time so you never know if you will run into him. As the Terminator said, “I’ll be back.”
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