The village of Reschen (Resia) is directly located on the watershed, on the shore of the Reschensee reservoir, built in 1950 and famous for the bell tower which emerges from the water in front of Graun municipality.

The border with Nauders, Austria runs about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) north of the pass summit towards the tripoint with Valsot, Switzerland in the west.

Archduke Sigismund of Austria had a fortress built here in 1472, and until 1854 a custom house between the Austrian County of Tyrol and Switzerland sat between two fortified bridges over the Inn river.

the Austrian Martinsbrück up to Norbertshöhe and Nauders, providing a shorter way from Switzerland to Italy than the longer road via Cajetansbrücke.

Several structures for a projected railway connection were also built; however, these plans were finally abandoned after World War II.