Christian Doppler was born and grew up in Salzburg. Here he attended various schools and his experiences set the course for his later life.
Birth
Christian Andreas Doppler was born at Makartplatz 1 on 29th November 1803. He was the third of five children born to master stonemason Johann Evangelist Doppler and his wife Theresia (maiden name Seeleuthner). Today the family home bears a plaque.
Schooling
During the decade from 1810 to 1820 Christian obtained his basic formal education in Salzburg.
After finishing the six years of obligatory primary school it appeared that he would not be suited to join his father’s physically demanding profession as a stonemason which his elder brother already exerted. So, he was allowed to continue his education for three years at the local middle school with the intention to have Christian trained for a professional career in commerce which would let him become part of the educated middle class.
After finishing this school Christian passed an additional fourth year of middle school in Linz (1820/21) and, at the recommendation of Simon Stampfer, who had recognised Christian’s extraordinary mathematical talent, he continued his education, from 1822 to 1825, at the Polytechnical Institute in Vienna.
After the time spent in Linz and Vienna, he returned to Salzburg in 1825 to attend the academic secondary school in order to qualify for university.
Marriage
In 1836, the 32 year-old Doppler was living in Prague. He returned to Salzburg to marry the 24 year-old Salzburger Mathilde Sturm, the daughter of a respected Gold and silversmith. Thereafter, the Doppler family lived in Prague, and was blessed with five children.