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Thal is a market town in the district of Graz-Umgebung in Styria (Austria). The place became known by the church designed by Ernst Fuchs and as the birthplace of Arnold Schwarzenegger. The municipality is located about 4 km west of the Styrian capital Graz in western Styria.

Culture and sights

    Parish Church of Thal: In 1735, the parish church of St. James the Elder was built in Baroque style on the site of a wooden chapel presumably built over a plague cemetery and originally dedicated to St. Sebastian. 

    Oberthal Castle: As early as the 12th century, the seat of the Lords of Waldsdorf was located on the site of today's castle in the form of a fortified noble farm with a large dairy. From 1945 to 1955 the British commandant's office was housed here, and from 1955 to 1957 a part of the castle was rented to the English Embassy. On November 1, 1958, the property was returned to John Theodor Essberger, who died in 1959 and the property passed to his daughter Liselotte von Rantzau-Essberger, who bequeathed it to her sons Eberhart and Heinrich von Rantzau in 1993.

    Unterthal Castle: The castle was first mentioned in a document in 1259 and was built on a hill between the present parish church and Lake Thaler, probably at the beginning of the 13th century. The castle was surrounded by a mighty defensive wall with embrasures and battlements. 

    Schwarzenegger Museum: In the birthplace of today's honorary citizen Arnold Schwarzenegger there has been a museum since 2011. Schwarzenegger's school friend Peter Urdl and others spent years trying to find exhibits. Today, the building where the bodybuilder, actor and governor spent the first 19 years of his life features such things as the tubular steel bed in which the teenager slept, a motorcycle from one of his movies and a replica of the California governor's desk. The opening took place on Schwarzenegger's 64th birthday.

    Thalersee: This man-made lake not only attracts recreationists, but also serves as a sports venue for walking, running, ice skating and curling. Between 2007 and 2019, an archery course was also in operation in the hamlet of Haslau.
    Arnold Schwarzenegger Hiking Trail: built around the media attention generated by Arnold Schwarzenegger's election as governor of California, this hiking trail was put together and opened in October 2004.
    Grazer Golfclub in Thal near Graz: Since 2007, the Grazer Golfclub in the municipality of Thal offers an 18-hole course with an additional 9 holes as an attractive addition.
    Marktmusikverein Thal: The association was founded in 1948.[3] The number of musicians is currently 48, plus 5 sutlers. 21 musicians are under 30 years old.