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After completing the middle school in Linz in 1821, Christian Doppler studied mathematics, geometry and physics at the Polytechnic Institute of Vienna. In 1825 he graduated with excellent grades.

After he had returned to secondary school in Salzburg to gain his school-leaving certificate, between 1829 and 1833 he was employed by Adam Burg as an assistant for higher mathematics at the Polytechnic Institute in Vienna.

After time spent in Prague and Schemnitz, in 1849 Doppler was appointed professor of geodesy. He was the successor to Simon Stampfer, the very man who had played a crucial role in setting Doppler on his academic life-course when he was Simon’s student.

From 1820 to 1822 Christian spent two years in Linz. During the first year he attended the final (fourth) year of middle school (“Deutsche Normalschule”), followed by a second year of apprenticeship in commerce.

 

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.

Between 1847 and 1849, Christian Doppler worked as professor of mathematics, physics und mechanics at the Mining and Forestry Academy in Schemnitz (today, Banská Štiavnica) in the Slovak Ore Mountains.

Image By Benjamín Jarčuška (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0), via Wikimedia Commons

In November 1852, Christian Doppler travelled to Venice where he hoped the sea air would offer him relief from the symptoms of a chronic lung disease.

On 17th March 1853, Christian Andreas Doppler died at the age of 49 in the presence of his wife Mathilde in his apartment in Riva degli Schiavoni no. 4133.

A memorial monument is dedicated to him at the San Michele cemetery.

(http://himetop.wikidot.com/christian-doppler)

Between 1835 and 1841 Christian Doppler taught arithmetic, algebra and geometry at the Prague Corporate Secondary School. Between 1841 and 1847 he occupied the position of Full Professor of Higher Mathematics and Practical Geometry at the Polytechnic Institute of Prague, featured in the photo above.