Folk art of egg painting (pysankarstvo) has a centuries-old history. Pysanky is not just a beautiful souvenir, but also a symbol of universal love, joy and wishing well-being and good luck, good health to relatives and friends. The art of pysankar art reached a particularly high level in Hutsulshchina and Pokutya. It was here, in Kosov, Kosmach, Zhabie and other towns, that the making of pysanky took on the character of an artistic craft. Extremely rich variety of ornaments and symbols of painting, various techniques of drawing execution, a wide range of colors glorified and made world-famous Hutsul miniature painting. Over time, among the connoisseurs of the art of egg painting the idea of creating a museum of Pisankar painting in Hutsulshchina, the main task of which would be the collection, exposition and popularization of the creations of folk masters, their scientific processing and preservation for future generations.
In August 1983, the City Council of Kolomyia, Ivano-Frankivsk region, decided to create museum of pysanky in the church of St. Annunciation. For four years, a rich collection of pryanoks was collected, the theme of expositions of exhibitions of pryankarstvo works was developed. October 26, 1987 was the grand opening of a branch of the Museum of Folk Art of Hutsulshchyna and Pokutya named after Iosafat Kobrinsky. In 1990, the church was handed over to the believers, and the museum was placed in a poorly adapted room on R. Shukhevicha Street.
According to the project of architect I.E.Shuman on V.Chornovol Avenue was built a specialized building, the central part of which has the form of artistically painted egg, height of about 14 m and made of colored glass with a total area of stained glass 600 square meters. In the lobby of the premises there is a sculpture of the Mother of God with a child and embroidered miraculous icons that create a unique aura. The grand opening of this original museum of folk art was held on September 23, 2000 during the X International Folklore and Ethnographic Festival of Hutsuls in Kolomyia. The opening ceremony was attended by the President of Ukraine L. Kuchma and the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada I. Plyushch.
In the funds of the museum there are more than 12000 eggs painted by folk artisans of all historical regions of Ukraine, as well as many countries of the world. Here you can see a porcelain egg from France, wedding ceremonial eggs from Algeria, Israeli stone eggs and many exhibits from other countries. The museum also has a collection of pysanky with autographs of famous Ukrainian and foreign political figures. The themes of expositions of the museum «Pysanka» are often changed and updated, personal exhibitions of works of folk artisans and art professionals are also held. The staff of this original cultural center introduces visitors to the long history of the origin of artistic egg painting, the magical meanings of ornaments and symbols of the drawings, the process and techniques of modern egg painting.
Nowadays, this original temple of art and folk traditions has become one of the visiting cards of Kolomyja and attracts many Ukrainian and foreign visitors.