Interesting that you should bring this subject up, Trumpy. It is often debated in the technical newspaper here. It's repetedly stressed that plug-in surge protectors won't protect you from lightning strikes.
Instead they recommend the panel mounted ones you describe, combined with a lightning conductor and an earth electrode consisting of a buried copper wire going around the whole building. Lightning conductors have "always" been common in the countryside here. However, I think the surge protectors are still very rare. (I have never seen nor heard of one in real life)
