The island was visited by the Second German North Polar Expedition 1869–70, led by Carl Koldewey and referred to as Grosse Koldewey Insel in the astronomy section of the expedition report, but this may not have been intended as a formal name.

However, the 1906–08 Danmark Expedition showed them to be connected and called the island Store Koldewey.

Lille Koldewey is a smaller island to the northeast of its northern end.

It is a long and narrow island separating the Dove Bay to the west from the Greenland Sea.

[1] The southernmost headland of the island is Cape Alf Trolle.