A finely manicured, 10-acre park in the Romanian capital city of Bucharest has been renamed in honor of Jersey City, its sister city.

The park, in the northwest area of Bucharest, includes a children’s playground and picturesque walkways outlined by ornamental shrubbery.

“This is a grand gesture of friendship with our sister city of Bucharest, and speaks to the growing relationship we look forward to continuing with them,” Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop said. “We are thankful to the residents and leadership in Bucharest for this park that now bears Jersey City’s name over 4,000 miles away.”

The park, near a zoo and the U.S. Embassy, features more than 8,000 linear feet of decorative hedge, 540 planted trees and 870 shrubs.

Jersey City and Bucharest became sister cities in August 2018. A sister city pact is a formal agreement between two municipalities to promote cultural and a mutually beneficial partnership as an act of peace and to encourage commercial trade and tourism.

The park, previously known as Baneasa Park, “was renamed ‘The Jersey City Park’ to honor the twining of Jersey City and the first sector of Bucharest,” Dr. Ion V. Pancu, the Honorary Consul of Romania in New Jersey, said. “This park is a symbol of what the city of Jersey City means to us as a sister city.”

Pancu said the renaming was a collaborative effort by himself, the general mayor of Bucharest, Gabriela Firea, the mayor of the first sector of Bucharest, Daniel Tudorache; and the General Consul of Romania in New York, Catalin Dancu.”

Fulop said that with thousands of people from Romania currently living in Hudson County, the city will return the grand gesture in Jersey City.

“Playgrounds were not something Romania traditionally had when I grew up there, so it is a great improvement for Bucharest to have a partner like Jersey City that’s so advanced,” said Daniela Sarbu, Jersey City resident and Owner of Café Esme. “I’m thrilled Jersey City has connected to my home country of Romania and is a part of its development boom currently underway.”

Mayor Fulop recently hosted a delegation of elected officials from Romania during their trip to the United States, and has been formally invited to meet with the Prime Minister of Romania, Viorica Dancila, on Sept. 23 during her visit to New York, officials said.

During that visit he will present Romanian officials with the city of Jersey City flag to fly within The Jersey City Park.