As early as the Middle Ages, the side valley leading towards Mallnitz was opened up for merchant traffic with the construction of the tollgate in Obervellach (starting point of the Groppenstein gorge), forming the so-called “Fuggerstraße” that led across Korntauern Mountain to take provisions to the mountain farmers of the Gastein region.

The former tollgate belonged to the Archduke and consisted of a one-storey, square tower with quarry-stone walls, measuring 4x4m. The tollgate was in operation from the second half of the 13th century until the first half of the 16th century.

At the starting point of Groppenstein gorge, remnants of a paper and cellulose factory constructed by the Fleischhacker family still survive.

The Groppensteinschlucht Gorge is part of the Tauern Window, which is a geological sensation. The highest mountains in the Hohe Tauern region consist of rock strata that would otherwise be found in the lowest geological layers of the Alps. The Tauern Window lets you see these deep layers on the surface. It provides a view of the Earth's history stretching over millions of years. 

The Tauern Window measures 160 kilometres in length and spans from the Brenner Pass in the west to Katschberg in the east. Its North-South axis is 30-60 kilometres in length.

Central gneiss formed from magma that solidifies to become granite, granodiorite and tonalite and later transformed to gneiss. The rocks of the crystalline basement are the Tauern Window's oldest rocks.