Arnold Schwarzenegger - how it all began by AuVi eBooks & 360° Photos

WELCOME

CONTENT

WELCOME

THAL NEAR GRAZ

THE FIRST COACH

GRAZ

STUTTGART

MUNICH

LONDON

HIKING TRAILS

MUSEUM THAL

10!

MUSEUM HOTEL PARADIES

11!

THE ARNIE-PAINTER

12!

FOREVER

HOW IT ALL BEGAN

Rudolf J. Strutz Photographer and Author

To produce an e-book about Arnold Schwarzenegger is a major undertaking. When this project started to first gain shape, the plan was to only describe the museum, which is housed in Arnold's childhood home. After having taken all the necessary pictures, the new management of the museum prohibited me to publish these pictures. But because "quitting" is not a word that is part of my vocabulary, I extended my research and am now proud to present to you an e-book that documents the many important stages of the young Arnold Schwarzenegger. Many contemporary witnesses have helped me and supplied me with material, advice and help in this project. This resulted in a compendium of Arnold Schwarzenegger's life "before the USA." In the past months I have had the chance to meet countless impressive people and to hear many stories about the greatest bodybuilder of all times.

This e-book is not supposed to be a biography of the great Styrian. "How it all began" documents the years before Arnold's move to the United States. This e-book will help fans of Arnold Schwarzenegger to retrace his steps in Austria, Germany and Great Britain. The pictures show a young Arnold with many of his friends and supporters. At this point I want to send warmest thanks to all friends, who supported me in the completion of this project.

Rudolf J. Strutz! Photographer and Author

THAL NEAR GRAZ The greatest son of Thal near Graz and one of the greatest Austrians, Arnold Schwarzenegger, was born on July 30, 1947 in Graz. Today, his childhood home houses the Arnold Schwarzenegger Museum.

The village Thal is situated about 6 km west of Graz and is currently home to reabout 2,400 residents. The area re culmains pristine and natural, farmers cul tivate the meadows, fields and forests, destinawhich make the area a popular destina looktion for people from Graz who are look ing for some rest and recreation. But also many visitors from abroad find their way to Thal to see the unique sights and attractions. The Lake Thalersee offers boating and fishing in the summer and provides a dreamy ambiance for ice skaters in the natuwinter. The golf course with its natu rally designed 27-hole course and cross-country ski runs are other great attractions. These recreational offers are now an indispensable part of the leisure facilities on the outskirts of Graz. Beautiful hiking trails, such as the Arnold Schwarzenegger trail, that meander through our scenic countryside, invite young and old relaxation seekers to open their hearts and minds. Nature lovers who enjoy biking tours will fall in love with the bike trails, leading from Graz to the Thalersee and all the way to the centre of the village. Gourmets are getting a special treat in Thal. Some local farms produce delicious homemade meat-products and sausages as well as various pumpkin seed oils â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a regional specialty of Styria. The delicacies can be bought directly at the farms. Of course the municipality of Thal also offers a very attractive social life to its residents and visitors. More than 20 active clubs and organizations cater to the villager's social, athletic, cultural and economic

needs and contribute to the Thal's feeling of mutual respect and selfless service. The various clubs and organizations regularly host a broad variety of events and festivities, ranging from soap box derbies to concerts of the regional "Musikverein" or singing circles, to theater performances by the regionally popular laymen's performance group the "Stern-Thaler." The highlight of Thal's club life, however, is without a doubt the yearly Jacobian Street Fair (Jakobikirtag). This event is organized by a group of members of the regional clubs and takes place in front of our beautiful parish church. Education is also an imporimpor tant topic in our village. The elementary school Thal currently teaches seven classes of students in four grades and even ofof fers an after-school-care programme. A well trained team of teachers and staff lead the community KinderKinder garten, which hosts three groups of children in the mornings and two in the afternoons. The Agricultural College Grottenhof-Hardt is known far beyond our municipal borders. I also want to point your attention to our "Volkshochschule" (similar to a community college), which provides a broad variety of classes for adult education. Of course there are also many attractions which draw visitors to Thal. There is the famous parish church St. Jakob (remodeled by Prof. Ernst Fuchs) and the Arnold Schwarzenegger Museum. The privately owned Castle Oberthal and the ruins of the Thal fortress are also well worth a visit. And don't forget to see the Steinberg observatory. 5

fic safety in the village. The motto is: "See and be seen â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in better lighting."

The broad variety of activities by the municipality has increased the quality of life for Thal's residents tremendously. To connect the village to the public transportation network, a bus route was created in cooperation with the Holding Graz, a local communal service provider. The social and health organization Gratkorn offers high-quality mobile home car, which allows elderly or sick residents to be able to be cared for in the privacy of their own home. This also ensures that caregiving relatives have medically trained professionals to support them. Well-planned residential construction by the municipality led to a small increase in population and is another reason for the high quality of life in our village. Protection of the environment is of crucial importance in our village, because we consider it our responsibility to retain our outstanding quality of life, not just for our own sake, but also for our children. One can see even on the street signs that we take this commitment very seriously: The signs inform that Thal is participating in the e5Programme. For example, after switching the entire street lighting to more modern LED lamps, we were able to cut the system's energy and power requirement in half, which saves about seven tons of CO2 every year. In addition, the new LED lamps provide better lighting for Thal's streets, which subsequently led to a noticeable increase in traf-

Appropriate athletic offers for Thal's residents are an essential part of our municimunici pal politics. In recent years, the village put spespe cial efforts towards the c re a t i o n o f a m o d e r n sports and leisure facility. Today, the two soccer fields, the beach volleyball field, and the curling rank are a popular meeting point for Thalers of all ages, be it to participate in an athletic competition, or to simply enjoy the action as a spectator. Visitors and guests can enjoy the high quality of life, the broad variety of athletic and cultural offers in the village, and the beauty of the nature of Thal by checking into one of the various guesthouses, inns or B&Bs at and around Lake Thalersee. One of our most famous residents of the village of Thal is definitely our honorary resident Arnold Schwarzenegger. Former mayor Peter Urdl initiated the remodeling of Arnold's childhood home into a museum, which today is one of the most popular sights in Thal, next to the parish church St. Jakob.

Peter Schickhofer Mayor of Thal near Graz

THE FIRST COACH Kurt Marnul was born on May 30, 1929 in Graz. He is considered to be the pioneer of the Austrian bodybuilding scene and was the first coach of the most remarkable bodybuilder of all times: Arnold Schwarzenegger.

In the year 1952, Kurt Marnul started his career in weightlifting. In 1958, he founded the Athletic Union in Graz. The training rooms were located below the grandstands of the sport stadium in Graz Liebenau. Athletes worked their muscles hard with simple exercise equipment. In 1961, Marnul was the first man to become Mr. Austria and was able to defend it for four years in a row. Because of his muscular body, Kurt soon became an idol for many youngsters. The public response was tremendous and not long after, many young talents came to the gym at the Athletic Union Graz to workout under the instructions of Mr. Austria. In the summer months, Marnul and his training partners often visited the area around the Thalersee. The young, well-trained bodybuilders were often the cause of amazement of other visitors. At this time, Willi Richter worked as a lifeguard at the Lake Thalersee. In May 1961, he spoke to Marnul and drew his attention to the sons of the local police commander Gustav Schwarzenegger. When Kurt Marnul met the brothers Meinhard and Arnold Schwarzenegger for the first time, he was able to grant them one of their greatest wishes: a signed photograph of the first Mr. Austria. After this meeting, the two brothers were absolutely certain: One day, we want to be as good looking and have the same body as our idol, Kurt Marnul. In the same month in 1961, Meinhard and Arnold became active members in the Athletic Union Graz. Kurt Marnul quickly recognised Arnold Schwarzenegger's great talent. His special ambition, his exceptional training endurance, and his goals were unique. It was at the very gym of the Athletic Union 8

Graz where Arnold began to read American bodybuilding magazines for the first time. Arnold Schwarzenegger studied these magazines with great attention and discovered some world famous bodybuilding icons. At that time, the so-called "sandal movies" by Reg Park and Steve Reeves were a big hit in the United States. To train specific muscle groups effectively, Kurt Marnul rebuilt many training devices according to the photographs he found in USmagazines. Looking at these training machines today, they resemble veritable torture devices. Many of the machines, which helped to start building Arnold Schwarzenegger's body, are now in private ownership and stored in a small village in the south-west of Romania. The Schwarzenegger Museum in Thal as well as the Hotel Paradies also house some of the originals. Until 1967, Arnold successfully worked out at the gym of the Athletic Union Graz. He then left Graz to go to Munich, and later to London, to prepare for his successful move to the United States. Even today, countless posters and pictures of Arnold decorate the walls of the gym at the Athletic Union Graz. Over the years, many international television stations visited Kurt Marnul in his gym to get background information about the amazing career of the greatest bodybuilder of all times.

For his successful work towards the promotion of young bodybuilding talents, Kurt Marnul was honoured with both, the Styrian as well as the Austrian Cross of Honour. For more than 52 years, Kurt managed and organized the Athletic Union Graz. Besides Arnold Schwarzenegger, many other successful bodybuilders have emerged from there. Kurt Marnul and Arnold Schwarzenegger have been tied by a now decade-old friendship since their first training day in May 1961.

ATHLETIK-UNION-GRAZ H端ttenbrennergasse 31a 8010 Graz +43 676 628 44 60

GRAZ The first competitions in which Arnold Schwarzenegger took part were held in Graz in April 1964. With an impressive biceps circumference of 43 cm, Arnold gained much attention at the Mr. Styria competition.

At the competition, which was held in the "Spiegelsaal" of the famous Hotel Steirerhof in Graz, Arnold reached considerable honours in various categories: ! Forth - Mr. Styria ! Third - Mr. Hercules ! Third - Mr. Austria Arnold Schwarzenegger was only 17 years of age. All newspapers commented his achievement above average. At that time, some bodybuilders used dark paint, which was spread all over the entire body. This had the purpose to reveal the muscle contours better. Some of the participants overdid it with the "coloring."

The press and visitors responded rather negatively. • Left Top: Mr. Styria - left to right: Gobetz, Maurer, Schwarzenegger, Tauchner, Horvath and more. • Right Top: Mr. Austria - left to right: Helmut Cerncic (second), Kurt Marnul (Mr. Austria 1964) and Arnold Schwarzenegger (third). • Left bottom: Mr. Hercules - left to right: Arnold Schwarzenegger (third), Helmut Cerncic (Mr. Hercules 1964) and Adolf Ziegner (second).

The cover on the previous page shows the magazine "Der Muskelbilder," number 21, published in the year 1966. fitnessfachwirt.com

STUTTGART In autumn 1965, the international fall championships in bodybuilding took place in Germany. The event was held at the "W端lle Banquet Hall" in Stuttgart. At this competition, the awardees for "Best-Built Athlete 1965" for Juniors and Seniors

were chosen. Part of the competition was also a power lifting triathlon. At this time, the surprise winner of the competition, Arnold Schwarzenegger, was relatively unknown in Germany. His upper arm had grown to a circumference of 45 cm and his defined and toned body earned him an overwhelming victory with 263 points. â&#x20AC;˘ BEST BUILD Athlet 1965 The success of the then 18-year-old, however, was accompanied by a bitter aftertaste: Completing his mandatory military service at tht time, Arnold had to leave his troop without authorization. When the news of his victory made it all the way to his barracks, he had to face the consequences. But his success could not be prevented by a punishment. The two photographs on the left show the award ceremony for the Juniors. Left to right: Peter Wirth, Franz Dischinger, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Helmut Fluck and Harald Schmitz-Mancy. The cover on the previous page shows the magazine "Der Muskelbilder," number 36, published in the year 1966. fitnessfachwirt.com

MUNICH What is today's Hotel Brunnenhof in Munich, then hosted the first training site of Arnold Schwarzenegger in Munich. Rolf Putzinger's sport studio was located on the second floor, and was one of the very first gyms in Germany.

The facade and staircase are sights of historic importance and therefore under monument protection. They still look the same as at the time when Arnold worked at the studio as a trainer. Therefore, if you book into a room on the third floor of this cozy hotel, you can almost feel Arnold's "training spirit." There are countless anecdotes about the Terminator's time in Munich, but those are for another story. Arnold lived at the time in a small studio apartment at ChristophstraĂ&#x;e 1. 19

Here is my master, my mentor and father Hans Hauser. Do you know why you should visit our fitness studio to work out? Because we are using the training techniques of the very best (Arnold Schwarzenegger. Rightmost) Photographed at Herkulesstudio in Munich. Munich October 67

HOTEL BRUNNENHOF SchillerstraĂ&#x;e 36 80336 Munich Tel.: +49 89 54 510-0 Fax +49 89 54 510-555 hotel@brunnenhof.de www.brunnenhof.de

LONDON In 1966 Arnold Schwarzenegger took his first airplane trip, which took him to London. In the NABBA Mr. Universe (National Amateur Bodybuilders' Association) competition, he was defeated only by the American Chester Yorton.

At the first major competition in which Arnold participated in London, Charles "Wag" Bennett served as one of the judges. Schwarzenegger made such a strong impression on him, that Wag offered to coach him. At 19 years, Arnold did not have a much money, thus Bennett invited him to stay in his small apartment on the top floor of one of his two fitness centres in Forest Gate. The Bennetts had six children and thus there was not much space in the apartment. Arnold ended up sleeping on a sofa in the living room.

Wag Bennett and his wife Dianne helped and supported Arnold and played an important role in his life Arnold Schwarzenegger referred to Wag and Dianne often as his "English parents."

Chester Yorton was chosen as the winner of the Mr. Universe competition mainly because of his leg muscles and their definition. Bennett worked with Arnold to target these muscles specifically. In his new home, the East End of London, Arnold Schwarzenegger worked to improve his English language skills. In the same year, he was able to meet his idol Reg Park. Reg and Arnold developed a deep friendship and Reg became his mentor. The training programme of Wag Bennett paid off in a big way, when only one year later, Arnold Schwarzenegger became the youngest ever to receive the title Mr. Universe. When he returned to Munich as Mr. Universe to train four to six hours every day, he continued to go to school and kept working in Rolf Putzinger's fitness centre as a trainer. In the year 1968, Arnold Schwarzenegger returned to London and earned his next Mr. Universe title, this time in the category "professionals." When he spoke to his friend and English tutor Roger C. Field in Munich, he often said, "One day, I will be the greatest movie star!"

The studio of Wag Bennett was at 353 Romford Road. Dianne owned and managed a fitness studio for women, "Dianne Bennett's Glamour Girls," at the corner of Green Street and Romford Road. Over the door of Wag's fitness centre a sign proclaimed "Here we build men" and "Quitters NEVER Win .... Winners never quit!" Besides Arnold Schwarzenegger, there were other great bodybuilders who worked out with Wag Bennet: Reg Park, Robby Robinson and Lou Ferrigno. 24

After Wag Bennett's passing, the former temple of fitness was transformed into a church. Diane Bennett stayed true to her love for fitness and owns a studio in the south of Great Britain. There are countless photographs from the time of Arnold's stay in London. Many of these pictures can also be found on the internet. Unfortunately I was not able to find the people who held the rights to these images. Follow the link and you will find some photographs dating back to this time: Wag Bennet The picture on the right was taken after the competition in London, when Arnold returned to Munich. Schwarzenegger, the youngest ever Mr. Universe, and his friend Kurt Marnul.

HIKING TRAILS The village of Thal is a popular destination for people from Graz who are looking for some rest and recreation. There are three "Schwarzenegger hiking trails" of different lengths, starting with a small tour of 3.5 km up to a long hiking trail of 13.5 km.

Start and finish of the trails is the impressive parish church St. Jakob. The first documentary evidence of the parish Thal dates back to 1322. The current church was designed by Ernst Fuchs. Bishop Johann Weber dedicated the parish church on May 15, 1994. The parish church St. Jakob is the starting point for the Styrian Camino de Santiago to Santiago de Compostela.

The Arnold Schwarzenegger hiking trail invites you to retrace Arnold's childhood and teenage years, his way to school, or a walk to Lake Thalersee, where he made his first experiences with bodybuilding. The forests are wonderfully green and fragrant. Even though Thal is close to Graz, visitors can truly enjoy the unspoiled nature around the village.

When walking the trail, you will see multiple signs with interesting background information on the various stations of the trail. The sign at the elementary school in Thal also shows clearly, who is the idol of young people in Thal.

MUSEUM THAL At the museum, hundreds of personal souvenirs and keepsakes of Arnold Schwarzenegger's three world careers are on display. Peter Urdl and Helmut Gombocz have worked together to make this fantastic museum a reality.

The new management of the museum has threatened me with legal action if I published pictures of the museum. To comply with their demands, the museum is only shown from the outside and there will not be any pictures from the inside.

The museum comprises two stories and about 200 mÂ˛. In the year 1806, the Count Herbertstein had this house built in the district Linak for his forest ranger.

Gustav Schwarzenegger, Arnold's father, was the local police commander. This is why the family was able to live in company housing above the police station.

Opposite of the museum is the tower of Castle Un- Arnold lived with his parents until August 8, 1966 terthal, which dates back to the 13th century. The and then left Thal to go to Munich, later to Lontower with his impressive walls that are 1.5 m don, and finally in 1968 to the United States. thick is the only remains of the former castle. His parents decided to move to the town of Weiz in Eastern Styria in the year 1967. 31

It has been many years since I at attended the elementary school in Thal Artogether with Arnold. At that time, Ar internold 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

ACTOR ROOM On the second floor, you will find the so-called "Actor Room," which houses many souvenirs and keepsakes from Arnold Schwarzenegger's impressive career as a movie actor.