Arnold Schwarzenegger museum opens in Austrian village

A museum dedicated to Arnold Schwarzenegger has opened its doors for the first time in the star's Austrian hometown of Thal. The museum is located in Schwarzenegger's childhood home, where he lived until 1966.

The Schwarzenegger museum opened on Saturday, 30 July, the day the former action star and California governor turned 64 years old. One of the principal attractions is a life-sized model of the actor as his most famous character "The Terminator". Also among the exhibits are Schwarzenegger's childhood bed, his first weights and workout machine, a sword from the film "Conan the Barbarian", and the desk the former action star used while he was Governor of California. A Harley Davidson motorbike from "The Terminator" is also on display at the museum.

Schwarzenegger did not attend the initial opening of the museum, but organisers say that he will be present for a grander event, due to take place at a latter date. According to rumours, he will bring a bronze statue of himself to be placed outside his former home.

Arnold Schwarzenegger was born on 30 July 1947, in Thal, a village near the Austrian city of Graz. He lived in his hometown until 1966, and there he started weight training at the age of 15. He went on to win various bodybuilding competitions, as well as the titles of Mr. Universe and Mr. Olympia, and moved to the United States in 1968. He started his acting carer in 1970, with the film "Hercules in New York", and soon became a movie star. Some of the most successful films he starred in are "Conan the Barbarian", James Cameron's "The Terminator" and "Terminator 2: Judgement Day", "Total Recall" and "Predator".

A long-time member of the Republican Party, Schwarzenegger took a break from acting in 2003, when he won the recall election for Governor of California; he was re-elected in 2006. During his political career, the former action star was nicknamed the Governator. Schwarzenegger's office as Governor of California ended earlier this year, and he subsequently announced plans of reviving his Hollywood career. But he soon decided to put them on hold, as it became public news that he had fathered a child with a member of his household staff. Maria Shriver, Schwarzenegger's wife, has recently filed for divorce. The couple have been married for more than 25 years and have four children together.

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