Thal: In the Footsteps of Arnold Schwarzenegger

Mersad Monday, November 02, 2026 austria, throughmylens, travel

Just outside Graz, surrounded by the green hills of Styria, lies the small town of Thal, a place that probably would have remained a quiet little Austrian community if it hadn’t become famous as the hometown of one of Austria’s biggest international stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger. We visited Thal together with Mom, Jasmina, Amer, Mak, Isak and Beni, making it another lovely family stop during our time around Graz. Thal is not a place you need an entire day to explore, but that is part of its charm. It feels peaceful, rural and wonderfully relaxed, with green hills, scattered houses and countryside stretching around you. Considering that one of Hollywood’s most recognizable stars grew up here, the simplicity of the place is actually quite striking.

Thal is best known because of Arnold Schwarzenegger. He was born in 1947 and spent his childhood and teenage years here before leaving Austria in 1966 and beginning the extraordinary journey that eventually took him from bodybuilding competitions to Hollywood and later to the governorship of California. His childhood home still stands in Thal today, but it has been transformed into the Arnold Schwarzenegger Museum. The yellow house was once part of the former forester’s lodge of the Counts of Herberstein, where the Schwarzenegger family lived in the local gendarmerie residence. Since 2011, it has been open as the official Arnold Schwarzenegger Museum. Today, Schwarzenegger’s connection with Thal is visible beyond the museum as well. There is even a 7.3-kilometre Arnold Schwarzenegger hiking trail through the area, with memorial stones marking important stages of his life, starting and ending near the museum.

One of the highlights of our visit was the Parish Church of St. Jakob. From the outside, you immediately notice that this is not a typical Austrian village church. The historic church was transformed by Austrian artist Ernst Fuchs, whose colorful and highly symbolic artistic style gives the interior an almost dreamlike atmosphere. Crystal glass, vivid colors, unusual shapes and mystical symbols fill the space, making it feel somewhere between a traditional church and an art installation. It was definitely one of the most unusual churches we came across during our travels around Austria.

For us, though, the nicest part was simply experiencing Thal together. Walking around with Mak and Isak, spending time with Jasmina and Amer, having Mom with us and, naturally, bringing Beni along made it feel less like sightseeing and more like one of those relaxed family afternoons that become part of the story of a trip. Thal might be small, but between its beautiful Styrian countryside, its extraordinary church and the incredible story of the boy who grew up here and became Arnold Schwarzenegger, it turned out to be a surprisingly memorable place.

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