The settlement was founded by Russians on 18 June 1837 as the fort of Svyatoy Dukh (Holy Spirit). However, this area had been inhabited before the Russian arrival. During the Middle Ages, it was the site of Liesh, a SadzAbkhazian village. In the 13th century, the Genoese merchants arrived to establish a factory which became known as Layso. At that time the upland area was controlled by the Sadz princes of Aredba, one of whose principal estates was located within the modern district boundaries. The current name was given to the area by the Ottoman Turks, who called it either Artlar or Artı.
Adler railway station is also the effective southern terminus of the Russian section of the North Caucasus Railway, which has ceased to carry international traffic to Georgia since hostilities between Russia and Georgia closed the cross-border line in 1992. The summer months see direct train services bringing visitors to Adler from as far away as Berlin in the west (a journey of 3,714 km), Vorkuta in the north (4,286 km away, beyond the Arctic Circle), and Khabarovsk in the Russian Far East, with the 9,816 km of the latter journey taking eight days to complete. Passenger service to Sukhumi starts and stops from time to time.
For the 2014 Winter Olympics, new suburban network was put in operation. There is infrequent suburban service to Sochi, with most of the trains stopping also in Khosta and Matsesta, both in Khostinsky City District. The service continues in the direction of Abkhazian border, where trains stop at Olympiyskaya Derevnya railway platform. The service terminates at Olympiysky Park train station. Both the station and the platform were constructed for the Olympics. Furthermore, a connection to the airport is open, with service to Sochi through Adler railway station. Finally, a new line was constructed between Adler and Krasnaya Polyana, where some of the Olympic competitions were held, with two railway stations, Esto-Sadok and Roza Khutor. Kudepsta railway platform has been disused. Vesyoloye railway station is only in operation when there is passenger traffic to Abkhazia; at this station, customs and border controls take place.
Buses connect Adler with other localities of the city of Sochi.
The landmarks of the former town of Adler include two Russian Orthodox churches, dedicated to the Holy Trinity and the Holy Ghost, as well as the ArmenianSaint Sarkis Cathedral. Apart from a pebbly and narrow beach backed by the railway line, the district also has a municipal historical museum and a dolphinarium. It is also possible to visit a trout farm (founded in 1964) and a breeding nursery for great apes. It has a 70-metre-high Polikarya waterfall and the Akhshtyr Gorge with a 160-meter-long cave which contains traces of human habitation.
References
^ abRegistry of the Administrative-Territorial Units of Krasnodar Krai
^The count of urban-type settlements may include the work settlements, the resort settlements, the suburban (dacha) settlements, as well as urban-type settlements proper.
