Arnold Schwarzenegger - how it all began

It has been many years since I at-
tended the elementary school in Thal
together with Arnold. At that time, Ar-
nold and I shared many common inter-
ests, like for example soccer. Arnold
decided to work towards a career in
power lifting very early in his life and
dedicated every waking minute to his
goal.
When Arnold left Thal in the year 1966
to go to Germany, him and I lost touch
for quite some time. Arnold returned
to visit Thal and his childhood friends
every now and then. In the meantime, I was elected the mayor of Thal.
In February 1997, I petitioned to honour Arnold Schwarzenegger with
the honorary residency of the municipality Thal. My petition was accepted
unanimously.
In 2001 I had the idea to honour my childhood friend, who by now has
become an internationally acclaimed superstar, with a suitable monument.
It was very important to me that the facility will be visible and
accessible to everybody. The necessary preparations started in May
of the year 2004.
The first step was to create the Arnold Schwarzenegger hiking trails,
which can be walked in one of the three varieties: 3.5 km, 9.5 km or
13.5 km. While walking the trail, interested hikers can retrace Arnold
Schwarzenegger's most important life stations.
Over the years, Arnold kept giving me personal gifts and presents,
which I collected. I kept thinking about making them available to be
seen by the public someday.
In February of 2005, I opened an "Arnold Schwarzenegger Special Exhibition"
in Thal, which took place right next to the famous St. Jakob
church and opposite the elementary school. The exhibition lasted several
years and many of the visitors kept asking about Arnold's childhood
home.
In the year 2007, I met Helmut Gombocz who became my partner in
crime and contributed significantly to the success of our joint project.
He put time, effort, and his whole heart in the creation of a permanent
facility in Thal.
It took until the year 2009, until the house at the address Thal 145 was
up for sale. The superfund-owner Christian Baha generously offered to
contribute the necessary financial means to buy the house.
All people involved in this project contributed a tremendous effort and
Arnold also sent multiple shipments with personal pieces for the exhibit.
Additionally, Christian Baha worked towards buying several original
film props at auctions.
We were especially proud when we managed to find and assemble Arnold's
original childhood bed, which is made out of steel pipes.
It is of utmost importance to me to express my sincerest thanks to all
friends and supporters of Arnold. Without you, we would never have
been able to retrace and find all those long lost artifacts and exhibits
that are now on display.
My special thanks go out to Arnold Schwarzenegger himself, for his
friendship, his trust, and for showing us time and time again that big
dreams do come true. Last but not least, I want to thank our investor
Christian Baha, Alfred Gerstl, Kurt Marnul, Karl Kainrad, Werner Kopacka,
and all friends and supporters of this project.
This e-book will show you how precious and interesting a visit to the
Arnold Schwarzenegger Museum in Thal near Graz can be. Feel free
to flip through the pages of this book and you will notice that the
whole region is well worth a visit.
In the museum you will find a detailed catalog with background information
and specifics.
Welcome at the museum
Peter Urdl
Initiator of the Arnold Schwarzenegger Museum
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