A German pensioner lost tens of thousands of euros at the weekend after leaving it on the roof of his car in a moment of forgetfulness.

The 69-year-old man withdrew €20,000 ($22,000) from a bank in Witten, North Rhine-Westphalia, at about 3.40 p.m (14.40 UTC) on Friday, Bochum police said in a statement released on Tuesday.

He placed the money in an envelope and then put it on the roof of his car before pulling off.

The man realized his mistake as he got out of his car a short while later in Annen — to find the envelope with the cash had blown off.

The man, who has difficulty walking, had intended to buy a new car with the money.

The police are asking for anyone who may have found the envelope with the cash to hand it in to the police station.

Read more: Google Pay hopes cash-loving Germans take to contactless payments

Paying with cash, even for big-ticket items, remains very common in Germany for cultural reasons. 

"We don't want to be patronized. We want autonomy; we want the freedom and practicality that cash offers," business psychologist Erich Kirchler previously told DW. 

Every evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.