> Reading this thread, I do not get Germany's worship of notaries and notarizations.

No-one here worships them, they're just an obscenely rich entrenched institution running a racket as the gate keepers of certain notarized acts and doing anything in their power to lobby against innovation.

I could also ask you why U.S.-Americans worship a horribly broken school system or love lacking consumer and privacy protections. The answer is simple, it's not worship.

I assure you American politicians and lobbyists do worship those malign traits.

What I find funny is that in Germany, you can only buy a house with a notary to prevent shady things (reasonable), but up until 2023, you could literally buy the entire thing with cash, without having to provide any proof of the origin of the funds.

Isn't the notary there to take note of the shadiness of buying in cash and, if shady enough, abolish the transfer?