THAL, Austria (AP) — Arnold Schwarzenegger — the bodybuilder, movie star and ex-governor whose romantic exploits have landed him in the middle of a messy divorce — invoked his life as model for young people Friday during the formal inauguration of a museum dedicated to him in his native Austria.

Hundreds of fans braved driving rain and chilly autumn temperatures to fete Austria’s most famous living son at the museum, located in the two-story Thal village house where Schwarzenegger was born.

The museum, open since July, is a repository of items that include his first barbell, the metal bed that he slept on as a youth, several life-size “Terminator” models and the polished dark wooden desk he sat behind while California’s governor.

Schwarzenegger also unveiled a bronze statue of himself flexing and in trunks as the young body builder from Austria whose rippling biceps led to his Hollywood career — and the popularity that paved the road to the governor’s office.

Shielded by an umbrella, Schwarzenegger used the occasion to deliver an inspirational speech to youthful fans. Invoking the title of one of his early films, he told them anything was possible as long as they “stay hungry.”

He said he wishes that every person who visits the museum “understands that everyone can be successful in his own way.”