Thal Report Part 4: The Athletik Union Graz!
Look Inside Mr. Universe's Gym!
Reported By: Kathryn Fogg
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
**UPDATE** Video clip added! Scroll to the bottom!
On a quest in Austria with my husband to discover Arnold’s past, we visited Arnold’s childhood house, school, church and lake, as well as the Arnold Schwarzenegger Museum. Now we were headed toward the nearby city of Graz to search for the gym where Arnold had trained to become Mr. Universe – the Athletik Union Graz!
When Arnold was a teenager, he learned that his swimming teacher knew the most famous bodybuilder in Austria, Kurt Marnul, and Arnold begged to be introduced. Marnul invited Arnold to train at his gym, the Athletik Union Graz, and Arnold began an intensive training program under his guidance. Arnold was so dedicated to weightlifting that he was known to break into the gym on weekends to train when it was closed. When Arnold’s father limited his son’s trips to the gym, Arnold began to train in his basement at home as well.
In addition to going to the gym in Graz, Arnold also frequented movie theaters in the city to watch his bodybuilding idols such as Reg Park, Steve Reeves and Johnny Weissmuller. Arnold later spoke of being inspired by his idols and said, "The Mr. Universe title was my ticket to America – the land of opportunity, where I could become a star and get rich."
To find the Athletik Union Graz, my husband and I followed our map from Thal to an industrial section of Graz until we arrived at Hüttenbrennergasse 31A. I was amazed that young Arnold had regularly traveled those eight miles to and from the gym by bicycle, in addition to working out. The lettering on the outside of the building said "Sport Union" and "Sportzentrum Körnerplatz." Those were not the words I was looking for, but the street address was correct. The building with the fading exterior was inconspicuous among similar-looking industrial buildings in the area. The paint was peeling and some of the lettering had chipped off, giving no clue to the greatness that had evolved inside.
Charles and I walked along a narrow passageway toward the gym and saw young people playing soccer in a field next to the building. When Charles saw a man near the door, he asked in German if this was the gym where Arnold Schwarzenegger had once worked out. The man gave us a big smile and said we were in the right place. He told us that the gym had closed at noon that day (Saturday, October 17), but he said we could look around and take pictures. On the wall inside I found the words I had been looking for: "Athletik Union Graz."
Charles and I descended the stairway lined with photos of Arnold. As our footsteps echoed throughout the empty gym, I imagined the young bodybuilder pushing himself beyond his limits with dreams of glory and the determination to succeed. Here are photos we took in the gym to share with TheArnoldFans.
Finally, here is a short narrated video clip of Arnold's school house, church, and museum exterior back in Thal.
Thal Report Part 4: The Athletik Union Graz!
