Carl Schmitt
Köppel was born in Zürich. His mother was a secretary, while his father worked as a mason and a builder, and came to own a renovation company called Köppel AG. Both of Köppel's parents died during his teen years and he, along with his younger brother, who was ten at the time, and his girlfriend, moved in with his grandparents. His early education was in a grammar school. He later graduated from Kantonsschule Zürcher Unterland. He then studied in the University of Zurich's Department of Political Philosophy and Economic History. He completed his Licentiate in 1995. His thesis on Carl Schmitt, "Autorität und Mythos: Carl Schmitt und die Wiederverzauberung staatlicher Gewalt (1916–1938)" ("Authority and Myth: Carl Schmitt and the Re-enchantment of State Power") was written in collaboration with the Swiss philosopher Georg Köhler.