Arnold Schwarzenegger's Austrian Roots And Home

Arnold Schwarzenegger, the former Mr Universe, Hollywood star, and governor of California, was born in Thal, Austria, in 1947. He lived in a modest flat in Thal with his family from his birth until 1966, when he left to pursue his bodybuilding dreams. The flat had no electricity or running water. Today, the residence has been converted into a museum, showcasing Schwarzenegger's journey from a local Austrian boy to an international superstar and politician.

Arnold Schwarzenegger's childhood home in Thal, Austria, is now a museum

The Arnold Schwarzenegger Museum opened in 2011 in the building that was once the local police station and Schwarzenegger's childhood home. The museum was privately funded and showcases Schwarzenegger's journey from local Austrian boy to international superstar and politician.

The museum is not large, covering only 200 square metres, but it is filled with objects and memorabilia from the various stages of Schwarzenegger's life. Visitors can see the house's original pit toilet and a 1950s kitchen, with a washstand and jugs for collecting water, as the home had no running water or electricity during Schwarzenegger's childhood.

The star's childhood bed is also on display, as are his first dumbbells and his original home workout machine, a pulley with weights attached that hung in a door frame inside the flat. Trophies and photographs from his early days of bodybuilding are exhibited, along with movie memorabilia, including a Harley Davidson motorbike from one of the Terminator films and a sword from Conan the Barbarian.

The museum also has a section dedicated to Schwarzenegger's time as governor of California, including a replica of his desk.

A large bronze statue depicting Schwarzenegger in the 3/4 back pose, which he made famous, stands outside the museum.

Schwarzenegger's family home had no running water or electricity

Arnold Schwarzenegger's childhood home in Thal, Austria, had no running water or electricity. The famous bodybuilder, Hollywood actor, and American politician lived in a one-floor apartment from his birth in 1947 until 1966. The home, which is surrounded by farmland, was built in the early 1800s. Schwarzenegger lived upstairs with his mother Aurelia, father Gustav, and older brother Meinhard, while the forest ranger lived downstairs.

The apartment overlooked a castle and the surrounding forests and farmlands. "It was absolutely beautiful," Schwarzenegger said in the 2023 Netflix docuseries "Arnold." However, it was also where he experienced a difficult childhood due to his father's abusive behaviour. Gustav Schwarzenegger, who served as a member of the Nazi Party's paramilitary wing and returned from World War II with post-traumatic stress syndrome, would beat his sons and make them "compete against each other." Schwarzenegger's father's behaviour was made worse by his drinking, and the actor recalled that his father's abuse included smacking and beating with belts.

In the docuseries, Schwarzenegger returned to his childhood home and bedroom, which is now a museum. He shared that he first started bodybuilding while living in the home and dreamed of moving to America. Visitors to the museum can see the home's 1950s kitchen, original pit toilet, washstand, and jugs used to collect water.

The museum includes Schwarzenegger's childhood bedroom, his first dumbbells, and a replica of his governor's desk

The Arnold Schwarzenegger Museum, located in Thal, Austria, is housed in the former childhood home of Arnold Schwarzenegger and is the only official museum in the world dedicated to him. The museum showcases Schwarzenegger's journey from a local Austrian boy to an international superstar and politician.

The museum includes Schwarzenegger's childhood bedroom, where he lived from his birth in 1947 until 1966. The bedroom is a large room that features a closet, a desk, and the bed he used as a child. The walls were once adorned with photos of bodybuilders he aspired to emulate, like Reg Park.

Also on display in the museum are Schwarzenegger's first dumbbells, which he used while living in the house, and his original home workout machine, a pulley with weights attached that hung in a door frame inside the flat.

In addition to these items, the museum features a replica of Schwarzenegger's governor's desk, which has made its way from Sacramento, California, to Thal, Austria.

Schwarzenegger's parents, Aurelia and Gustav Schwarzenegger, lived in the home with their sons Arnold and Meinhard from 1947 to 1966

Arnold Schwarzenegger was born in Thal, Austria, on July 30, 1947. From his birth until 1966, he lived with his parents, Aurelia and Gustav Schwarzenegger, and his older brother, Meinhard, in a one-floor apartment in the village of Thal. The family home was situated above the police station where Gustav worked as a police chief.

The Schwarzeneggers' apartment had no electricity or running water, and the family had to collect water from a well 200 yards from the house. Schwarzenegger has described his childhood as “tough”, with his father, a former member of the Nazi Party, acting as a “tyrant” who would beat his sons and make them “compete against each other”. Schwarzenegger's father favoured his elder son, Meinhard, over him, due to unfounded suspicions that Arnold was not his biological child.

In 1966, Schwarzenegger left his family home in Thal to pursue his dream of becoming Mr Universe.

Schwarzenegger's father, Gustav, was a local police chief and a member of the Nazi Party

Arnold Schwarzenegger's father, Gustav Schwarzenegger, was a local police chief in Thal, Austria, where Schwarzenegger grew up. Gustav was also a member of the Nazi Party and its paramilitary wing, the Sturmabteilung (SA). During World War II, he served as a military policeman in the invasions of Poland, France, and the Soviet Union, including the siege of Leningrad, and rose to the rank of Hauptfeldwebel. He was wounded at the Battle of Stalingrad and was discharged from the military in 1943 after contracting malaria.

Gustav Schwarzenegger's Nazi past received widespread media attention during his son's 2003 California gubernatorial recall election campaign. Gustav's background was scrutinised, and questions were raised about his possible involvement in war crimes. Gustav served in theatres of the war where atrocities were committed, but according to Holocaust scholar Michael Berenbaum, there is no evidence to suggest that he played a role in these crimes.

Arnold Schwarzenegger has spoken about his father's Nazi past and his difficult childhood. In an interview, he described his father as a “tyrant” who would beat him and his older brother, Meinhard. Schwarzenegger attributed his strict and abusive upbringing to his father's post-traumatic stress from the war. He also revealed that his father favoured Meinhard over him due to unfounded suspicions that he was not his biological son.

Gustav Schwarzenegger died of a stroke on 13 December 1972. His son did not attend his funeral, claiming that he was training for a bodybuilding contest. However, in later interviews, Schwarzenegger gave different reasons for his absence, including that he was informed of his father's death without emotion and that he never spoke of his brother, who had died in a car crash a year earlier.

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